Man arrested in series of violent parking lot robberies in Los Angeles and Orange counties

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A South Los Angeles man was taken into custody Thursday in connection with a series of violent armed robberies in parking lots in Los Angeles and Orange counties, including a heist in which he allegedly shot a victim twice outside the South Coast Plaza shopping mall.

Oshae Pollard, 21, of the Manchester Square neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with interference with commerce by robbery -- known as a federal Hobbs Act crime -- and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was arrested Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A federal magistrate judge ordered he be detained without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 23 at 10 a.m. in Santa Ana.

From Aug. 25 to Sept. 22, Pollard targeted victims in parking lots in Southern California in a series of crimes -- at least three armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery, federal prosecutors allege.

Robbery spree timeline

The first robbery occurred on the night of Aug. 25 at the Hustler Casino parking lot in Gardena, where Pollard ran toward a woman and pushed her to the ground, court papers allege.

The victim held onto her purse and yelled for help. Pollard allegedly began pulling on the victim's purse and pulled out a black semi-automatic pistol, placed it into the victim's mouth -- breaking her teeth -- and said, "If you yell again, I'll kill you,'' according to charges filed in Santa Ana federal court.

A witness began yelling and Pollard grabbed the victim's purse, stealing between $1,000 and $2,000, retreated to a car and drove away, prosecutors contend.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also alleges that during the early morning of Aug. 26, Pollard and an accomplice robbed a taxi driver sitting inside his cab in the parking lot of a Winchell's Donut House in Carson, struck the victim in the face, entered his car, and held the victim at gunpoint until he handed them his wallet and Samsung cellphone.

Late night on the same day, prosecutors say, Pollard and an accomplice approached two victims standing near their Rolls-Royce and Ferrari vehicles. Pollard allegedly pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the victim standing near the Rolls-Royce and demanded all the victim's cash. The victim handed over a luxury watch, a wallet, and the keys to the Rolls-Royce.

Federal prosecutors allege that when the other victim started the Ferrari and attempted to drive away, Pollard ran to the driver's door of the Ferrari and fired one round from his pistol into the car, barely missing the victim. The victim drove to a nearby gas station and asked the gas station clerk to call police, who later recovered one 9mm shell casing from the scene.

The total value of the items stolen was about $44,000, court papers show.

On Sept. 22, Pollard approached a victim who was entering his Lamborghini SUV at the South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Costa Mesa, and demanded, "Give me the watch. Give me the ring. Give me the car,'' and later threatened to shoot the victim, according to the affidavit.

When the victim didn't comply, Pollard allegedly shot the victim in the left hand, then pointed his pistol at the victim's chest and said, "You're a dead man,'' prosecutors said.

Pollard then shot the victim in the left thigh as the man began removing his watch, the U.S. Attorney's Office contends.

Court papers say the victim then kicked Pollard, who fell to the ground. The man then kicked Pollard several more times, fought with him for up to 15 seconds, then got back into his car and drove away, documents show.

Pollard allegedly ran to a Kia Forte and fled the scene. The victim survived the gunshot wounds.

If convicted of all charges, Pollard would face a sentence of up to life in federal prison, prosecutors noted.

"These are crimes of violence that not only terrorize the intended targets, but our community as a whole, making shoppers think twice about whether a trip to the mall will erupt in gunfire,'' Kimberly Edds, director of public affairs for the Orange County District Attorney's Office, said in a statement, adding that the arrest continues to send a strong message that crime doesn't pay in Orange County.''

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.