Deputies Identify 2nd Suspect in Ticket Heist

Authorities released the identity Friday of the second suspect arrested in the armed robbery of a Westlake Village travel agency.

Two men were taken into custody Thursday after a wild, televised chase on the Ventura Freeway that ended in a Woodland Hills cul-de-sac.

The pair, along with a third suspect who bailed out of the car during the chase and continues to elude authorities, allegedly burst into Petro Shore Travel on Thursday wielding guns. Employees were tied up and an undisclosed number of blank airline tickets were stolen.

The first suspect was identified as Eddie Mendoza, 21, of Van Nuys. Police have now identified the second man as Douglas Fernando Sosa, 20, also of Van Nuys.

Detectives are still piecing together whether the men are responsible for a string of armed robberies of area travel agencies over the last month, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Martin Dailey of the Lost Hills-Malibu Sheriff’s Station.

At least 10 agencies, including offices in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Glendale, North Hollywood, Chatsworth and Granada Hills, have been robbed in recent weeks.

“Based on what we’ve seen, they appear to be the same suspects, or at least part of the same group,” Dailey said.

The suspects’ descriptions, as well as that of the vehicle they were driving and their method of operation, were virtually identical to those from a travel agency robbery in Glendale on Dec. 18, Dailey said.

“It’s too coincidental,” he said.

Bail has been raised from $50,000 to $500,000 for each man, Dailey said.