Two More Suspects Arrested for Death of Alleged Conspirator in Robbery

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Two men who allegedly conspired with three others in a gang-related robbery in Moreno Valley that culminated in a deadly shootout were behind bars Thursday. Lawrence Arthur Garcia, 34, and Carlos Rene Vitela, 21, both of Riverside, were arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail Wednesday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Their alleged cohorts, 21-year-old Alejandro Galvan of Moreno Valley and 21-year-old Briceira Santacruz Palacios of Riverside, were arrested earlier this month. Galvan is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery, criminal street gang activity, a special circumstance allegation of killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang and sentence- enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Palacios is charged with murder, attempted murder and attempted robbery. Both she and Galvan made a joint initial court appearance earlier this month and are slated to be arraigned on April 19 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. She’s being held on $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, while Galvan is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. The defendants’ alleged cohort, 30-year-old Robert Valdez of Riverside, was fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire at an apartment in the 12000 block of Clark Street, near Box Springs Road, on the night of March 16, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Sgt. Ben Ramirez alleged that Valdez, Galvan, Palacios, Garcia and Vitela went to the location to rob the occupant, identified only as a Moreno Valley man. The victim was able to arm himself during the attempted holdup, leading to his trading shots with one or more of the alleged conspirators, Ramirez said. Both the victim and Valdez were wounded, the latter fatally, according to the sergeant. He said that the other alleged perpetrators fled during or immediately after the gunfire. The resident was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment of non-life-threatening wounds, from which he is still recovering. Detectives began developing leads soon afterward that resulted in arrest warrants for Galvan and Palacios, and later Garcia and Vitela. Under California’s felony murder law, conspirators in an "inherently dangerous crime" in which one of the offenders is killed — even if his or her cohorts did not cause the fatality — can be charged with homicide. According to court records, only Galvan has a prior conviction, for misdemeanor battery. Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.