2 Men Face Trial in Armored Car Case

Two men who allegedly helped an armored car driver steal about $1 million from his vehicle were ordered Friday to stand trial on robbery and kidnapping charges, authorities said.

Jose Fernandez, 24, of North Hollywood, and Christopher Baca, 30, of Panorama City were part of a six-man team that pulled off the Sept. 3 robbery in Van Nuys, Deputy Dist. Atty. Keri Modder said.

In a strange twist, the man accused of orchestrating the crime, 36-year-old David Campbell of South-Central Los Angeles, was hailed as a hero for his actions during the 1997 North Hollywood bank shootout.

In that incident, Campbell drove an armored truck into a hail of gunfire to shield police and helped save a bystander wounded when two heavily armed men tried to rob a bank. Campbell and three other alleged accomplices are scheduled to appear Dec. 17 for a preliminary hearing in Municipal Court at the Van Nuys courthouse, Modder said.

The other defendants are Raul Briceno, 24, of North Hollywood; Luis Perez, 30, of Pacoima, and Christopher Lee O’Connor, 24, of Palmdale.

Campbell told investigators two masked men carrying handguns hijacked his truck and forced him to drive to a nearby alley, where he and his partner were robbed. But police said they found discrepancies in Campbell’s account.

Fernandez allegedly drove a van that met the armored truck and then sped off with the cash, and Baca allegedly acted as the lookout, Modder said.

The kidnapping charge stems from the attack on Campbell’s armored truck partner, who was not involved in the crime and was forced into the vehicle and bound during the heist, authorities said.

Only about $200,000 of the stolen money has been recovered, Modder said. All six men face life in prison if convicted.