Suspect sought in string of 7-Eleven robberies and shootings across Southern California
Police are searching for a suspect after six 7-Eleven stores in Southern California were robbed, leaving two people dead and three others injured in shootings. Authorities believe at least four of the robberies were related.
The robberies took place in Brea, La Habra, Riverside, Upland, Santa Ana and Ontario within five hours early Monday. 7-Eleven encouraged locations across Southern California to close Monday night following the robberies, four of which involved shootings.
“Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones. We are gathering information on this terrible tragedy and working with local law enforcement,” 7-Eleven said in a statement obtained by KTLA-TV Channel 5. “Right now, our focus is on franchisee, associate and customer safety.”
The robberies in Brea, Santa Ana and La Habra — and possibly more — may be connected, said Lt. Chris Harvey of the Brea Police Department. A male suspect of similar description was cited for all three of those robberies, which involved gunfire, Harvey said. The suspect was last seen wearing dark clothing and a dark-colored mask and fled prior to officers arriving at the scene.
Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback confirmed that the shooting in Riverside appeared to be linked to the others.
“Our detectives are working closely with the other law enforcement agencies investigating these crimes,” Railsback said.
The first robbery took place in Ontario. Police were called to the 7-Eleven at 636 N. Vine Ave. just after 12 a.m. Monday following reports of a robbery, according to a news release.
“During the robbery, the suspect displayed a handgun and demanded money from the employee,” Ontario police said in the news release. “However, the suspect did not fire the handgun, and the victim was not injured in the incident.”
About 40 minutes after the Ontario robbery, police responded to another, at the 7-Eleven at 2410 W. Arrow Route in Upland. No shooting was reported in that robbery.
At 1:50 a.m. in Riverside, a customer was shot during a robbery at the 7-Eleven in the 5100 block of La Sierra Avenue, according to Railsback.
“The suspect produced a handgun and robbed the clerk,” Railsback said. “The customer was up near the front. After robbing the clerk — for unknown reasons — the suspect shot this customer.”
The victim, in his 40s, was treated by paramedics from the Riverside Fire Department and taken to a hospital, according to a news release. He was in grave condition, Railsback said.
Starbucks cited safety issues including drug use and threatening behavior in saying it would close 16 stores in major cities across the U.S.
Less than two hours after the Riverside robbery, Santa Ana police responded to reports of a shooting outside a 7-Eleven in the 300 block of East 17th Street.
Matthew Rule, 24, of Santa Ana was shot in the parking lot around 3:25 a.m., police said. He suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe the suspect robbed Rule and did not enter the store. It is unclear whether Rule was a customer of the 7-Eleven or why he was at the location.
At 4:17 a.m., Brea police responded to a robbery shooting at the 7-Eleven on West Lambert Road and North Brea Boulevard. Officers found the store clerk, 40-year-old Matthew Hirsch, fatally shot, Harvey said.
Shortly after, at 4:55 a.m., La Habra police responded to a robbery at the 7-Eleven on East Whittier Boulevard, where police found two victims, the clerk and a customer, with gunshot wounds, according to a news release. They were taken to a hospital by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics; La Habra police said both are expected to survive.
“There were several 7-Eleven robberies, and a handful of them had shootings as well,” said Harvey. “The initial belief is that ours and La Habra’s and Santa Ana’s are all connected, but that’s not confirmed yet, and I assume there’s going to be more.”
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department said it was searching for a man believed to be connected to four armed robberies of convenience stores and doughnut shops early Saturday in the San Fernando Valley. The suspect was also described as wearing dark clothing and a black face covering and brandished a handgun in each robbery, police said.
Investigators have not connected those robberies to the ones at 7-Eleven stores two days later, but Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said they are not ruling out the possibility that the incidents are related.
Times staff writer Gregory Yee contributed to this report.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
