An automated license plate reader (ALPR) alert led Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies to a stolen Mercedes-Benz C300, triggering a traffic stop in Rolling Hills Estates and the arrest of two people, LASD said. The vehicle was connected to a July 11 carjacking in Hawthorne and to a residential burglary in Torrance, authorities reported.
The alert came as deputies monitored ALPR data and coordinated with LASD Air Support and patrol units. The department said the technology and rapid response allowed officers to locate the vehicle, stop it near Palos Verdes Drive North and Rolling Vista Drive, and take two people into custody without further reported violence.
What LASD says about the stolen Mercedes
In a news release, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the recovered vehicle is a 2015 Mercedes‑Benz C300. LASD linked the car to an alleged carjacking and an alleged assault with a deadly weapon that occurred July 11 in the city of Hawthorne. Deputies later tied the vehicle to a residential burglary in Torrance, the department said.
LASD identified the driver as 26-year-old Yareht Pedraza of Bogotá, Colombia, and the passenger as 21-year-old Alan Pena Sabogn, also of Bogotá. Officials described the claims against both subjects as allegations reported by law enforcement and not independently proven in court.
“With deputies securing the perimeter and an LASD airship overhead, the search quickly shifted from the streets to the skies,” the department said in its release, summarizing the coordinated response that led to the arrests.
How ALPR and Air Support found the stolen Mercedes
Automated license plate readers are cameras mounted on patrol vehicles or fixed locations that capture plate images and run them against databases of stolen or wanted vehicles. When the Mercedes’s license plate matched the stolen-vehicle entry, the system generated a hit for deputies in the area.
LASD Air Support assisted by providing an aerial view to help locate the car as it moved through Rolling Hills Estates. According to the department, the combination of ALPR technology, dispatch coordination and an airship overhead narrowed the search area and guided ground units to the traffic stop location.
Officials emphasized that ALPR systems are one of several investigative tools used to track vehicles reported stolen and that alerts require verification and on-scene corroboration before arrests are made.
The traffic stop and arrests
Deputies said they conducted a traffic stop near Palos Verdes Drive North and Rolling Vista Drive after locating the Mercedes. As the vehicle stopped, a passenger exited and ran; deputies established a perimeter and continued a search aided by the airship.
Authorities took driver Yareht Pedraza into custody at the scene. The passenger, Alan Pena Sabogn, was located and arrested later, LASD reported. Sabogn was booked on suspicion of failing to obey a lawful order, obstructing a peace officer and providing false identification, and the department said he was linked to an outstanding felony no-bail burglary warrant from Colorado. Those are alleged charges reported by law enforcement.
Deputies described the arrests as the product of technology-driven policing and rapid multiunit coordination. A short LASD statement credited teamwork between deputies, dispatchers and Air Support for quickly identifying and detaining the occupants of the vehicle.
Local timeline and safety note
LASD’s account places the start of the investigation at the July 11 Hawthorne carjacking, followed by the vehicle being reported stolen and later detected by ALPRs as it traveled through Rolling Hills Estates. During their follow-up, deputies connected the car to a Torrance residential burglary and pursued the lead to make the stop.
Officials said no additional victims were identified in the immediate area during the stop and urged residents not to approach suspected suspects. LASD recommended reporting suspicious activity to local law enforcement and allowing trained officers to handle confrontations to reduce the risk of harm to the public.
“This arrest is another example of how technology, proactive policing, and teamwork between deputies, dispatchers, and Air Support help quickly identify suspects and remove them from our communities,” the department’s release said.
What happens next
The suspects were booked and held pending further processing, and the case remains under investigation. As with all law-enforcement reports, the statements about alleged conduct are those of the sheriff’s department and must be proven in court to result in convictions. Anyone with information related to the incidents was urged by LASD to contact detectives through the department’s tip lines.
Source attribution
This article is based on a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department news release and a Fox News report of the incident. For the original reporting, see the Fox News story: Fox News, and LASD’s official website: LASD. Allegations described in this article are those reported by law enforcement and have not been proven in court.
