2 Men Plead Not Guilty to Stalking Charges

Two Burbank men pleaded not guilty Friday in Burbank Municipal Court to charges of stalking a couple in connection with the shooting of a Los Angeles man earlier this week.

Authorities said one of the accused, Robert Young, 27, of Burbank, at one point rented a helicopter to follow the victim, who was shot about 4 p.m. Wednesday. Police would not release the name of the victim.

Young and Marcelo Flores, 26, both of Burbank; John Matthews Jr., 30, of Northridge, and Malcolm Alarca, 22, of Sunland, were arrested within hours of the shooting. All work for a Burbank towing company, police said.

Young and Flores have been charged with two counts of stalking the victim and his girlfriend, both 27. Bail has been set at $500,000 each.

Matthews and Alarca were not charged, authorities said.

Police said Young and Flores had been watching the victim and Young’s ex-girlfriend for at least three weeks before the shooting. The woman apparently had stopped dating Young in order to date the victim.

The couple had been threatened by the two men several times, but were unaware they were being followed, police said.

The victim, who was shot several times as he entered his parked car, was in fair condition at a local hospital. He is expected to recover, authorities said.

Investigators said they have not determined the triggerman’s identity.