A South Los Angeles man was arrested July 31 on federal charges alleging his role in a series of armed carjackings and store thefts in which five vehicles and two large-screen televisions were stolen.
Sergio Macias, 22, is the fourth defendant arrested in the case. Also charged are Michael Anthony Fisher, 23, of Bell; Andres Silva Cerrillos, 19, of Buena Park; and Jesse Gutierrez, 19, of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
All four defendants are charged in Los Angeles federal court with one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking, plus various counts of carjacking, attempted carjacking, interference with commerce by robbery, and firearms offenses.
“Violent gun crime tears at the fabric of our community and leaves victims with lasting trauma,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “These arrests and this indictment highlight my office’s determination to use our powerful federal laws to punish those who callously risk the lives of others.”
According to the nine-count indictment, Macias went on a crime rampage last winter, mostly carjacking—or attempting to carjack—vehicle owners at gunpoint in Downey, Pico Rivera, Norwalk and Whittier.
On Nov. 15, 2023, Cerrillos and Gutierrez allegedly stole two large-screen televisions from a Walmart in South Gate. They also threatened a store employee with violence as they were fleeing, prosecutors allege.
If convicted as charged, the defendants would each face a sentence of seven to 25 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
