Police track suspects to Pacoima, La Verne

A man who allegedly robbed a Burbank man of $6 at gunpoint remains in custody after police tracked him to a home in Pacoima, where he was arrested last week.

Juventino Fajardo allegedly approached a 68-year-old man on March 10 as he exited his vehicle near the West Victory Boulevard and Evergreen Street, where police say he used a gun to demand the man’s wallet and removed $6 in cash and a ring from his pockets. As Fajardo drove away, the man quickly wrote down the license plate number, Sgt. Robert Quesada said.

A follow-up investigation led officers to an address in Pacoima, where they found Fajardo, a 35-year-old convicted felon, in possession of a handgun and car matching the victim’s description.

He was arrested on suspicion of robbery and is being held on $50,000 bail.

Police also arrested 19-year-old Samuel Thorne on March 12 in La Verne in connection with terrorist threats he allegedly made to a Burbank resident.

Officers served a warrant to Thorne at 12:35 a.m. on Saturday morning after working with Pacific Grove Police Department to develop probable cause following a string of crimes that began in the city near Monterey Bay, said Lt. Eric Rosoff.

Thorne, who remains in custody on $250,000 bail, allegedly made several threats to the victim over the course of a week, according to a police report.

The case is currently under investigation.

-Gretchen Meier