Alleged gunman and his alleged getaway driver in Burbank shooting plead not guilty
A probationer and his alleged getaway driver were charged Thursday in connection to a car-to-car shooting reported on a busy freeway overpass in Burbank earlier this week that left one man — not the gunman’s intended target — injured, officials said.
Sylmar resident Joseph “Blanco” Lupercio, 24, pleaded not guilty to one count each of attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and assault with a firearm, according to the Los Angeles district attorney’s office.
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His alleged getaway driver, 26-year-old Sarah Sullivan, was charged with — and pleaded not guilty to — one count of being an accessory after the fact of attempted murder.
Sullivan was reportedly driving on the Burbank Boulevard overpass Monday evening when Lupercio, sitting in the passenger’s seat, shot at a car in which her ex-boyfriend was a passenger.
However, the driver, not Sullivan’s ex-boyfriend, was struck by gunfire.
The victim, identified in court records as Rane Melkom, turned the car around and pulled into a nearby Wells Fargo parking lot, where someone else in the car took the wheel. They then drove to the 1600 block of Grismer Avenue, where they called for help.
Meanwhile, the suspects fled westbound toward Victory Boulevard in a black Mercedes SUV.
Interviews with witnesses and the victim led investigators to Sylmar, where plain-clothed detectives surveilled the Mercedes and Lupercio’s home early Tuesday morning.
Later that morning, SWAT officers, two K-9 teams and a police helicopter surrounded Lupercio’s home while crisis negotiators called Lupercio.
Lupercio reportedly refused to surrender for about 15 minutes, and just before 8:30 a.m., he attempted to flee out the back of his home before he was taken into custody.
Lupercio, whose probation in a previous case was revoked, is being held in lieu of $2 million bail. In the previous case, he pleaded no contest and was convicted in June of recklessly evading a peace officer and driving a vehicle without consent, court records show.
Sullivan is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. The pair is due back in court next month.
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
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