He Stole Her Car At Gunpoint, But Elderly Arcadia Woman Had GPS Locator, Police Say

ARCADIA, CA — A 21-year-old West Covina man was in custody Monday for allegedly stealing a car at gunpoint from a senior citizen in an unincorporated part of Arcadia.

Alberto Martinez-Jara was arrested on Sunday after investigators activated a GPS tracking device in the stolen Honda and found him and the car at the West Covina Mall on the 1100 block of Plaza Drive, the sheriff's Temple Station reported.

Martinez-Jara was booked on suspicion of carjacking and was held on $100,000 bail. He's expected to appear in court in Alhambra on Tuesday.

The crime occurred earlier on Sunday in the 6700 block of Temple City Boulevard.

"An elderly woman told deputies she was sitting in her vehicle when she was approached by a man who pointed a handgun at her, demanding she exit the vehicle and surrender her car keys," according to a sheriff's statement. "The woman feared for her safety and complied with the request."

The suspect then drove off in the 2017 Honda, which was equipped with a GPS tracking device.

Deputies activated the tracker via the victim's cell phone app, learned the location of the car and notified West Covina police, who went to the mall, found the car and took the suspect into custody. A loaded .40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene, the sheriff's department reported.

City News Service