Man accused of robbery cries in court

BURBANK — One of two men charged with a carjacking and robberies spanning from Glendale to Tujunga wept in court Thursday when he saw members of his family.

Wearing a blue Los Angeles County jail jumpsuit and shackles, Nicolas Ventura Jr., 18, of Lakeview Terrace was comforted in a Burbank Municipal Court by codefendant Sergio Rodriguez, 20, of Sylmar, who handed him a tissue to wipe his tears.

The pair are charged with five counts of robbery, one count of carjacking, one count of attempted carjacking and one count of evading a police officer, according to a criminal complaint.

The counts also carry a special gun allegation.

Ventura, Rodriguez and two boys, whose names weren’t released because they are minors, were arrested after they tried to steal an elderly woman’s car and then carjacked a motorist at gunpoint, police said.

The crime spree continued throughout the Labor Day weekend, as they robbed people in Glendale and Burbank, police said.

In a hearing Thursday for Ventura and Rodriguez, who are being tried separately from the boys, Commissioner Kirkland Nyby upheld the original bail amounts of $675,000 for Ventura and $625,000 for Rodriguez.

The two 15-year-old boys were charged with five counts of robbery. They will be tried as minors.

Ventura and Rodriguez’s attorneys said they needed more time to review the evidence before a preliminary hearing could go forward.

“I just picked up discovery [evidence] today,” Rodriguez’s attorney Simon Aval said in court.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 8 in Burbank Municipal Court after Ventura and Rodriguez waived their right to the hearing 10 days after their arraignment.

The pair and the boys were arrested just before 2 a.m. Sept. 1 after they led Glendale police on a vehicle and foot pursuit in the city.

The crime spree began Aug. 29 when they tried to steal an elderly woman’s vehicle at the Angeles National Golf Course at gunpoint, Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

But the woman refused to comply, got into her car and drove away, he said.

The group tried to steal another woman’s car at gunpoint in Tujunga and got away with the car, police said.

In the stolen car, the group robbed two people at gunpoint in Burbank, police said. At least one Burbank robbery went unreported, Lorenz said.

After committing the robberies in Burbank, the foursome entered Glendale, police said.

A Toyota Corolla pulled up next to a Glendale couple who were entering their parked car at Irving Avenue and Bel Aire Drive after watching a movie Aug. 31, police said.

Three of the four males approached the couple, while the fourth male remained inside the Toyota, police said

One of the three teens pointed a semiautomatic handgun at the 34-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, demanding his wallet and her purse.

The man handed over his wife’s purse and the group fled in the Toyota, police said.

Soon after, police officials radioed a broadcast with details about the robbery and suspect descriptions to its patrol cars.

A patrol officer saw a vehicle and passengers matching the description from the robbery at Stocker Street and Central Avenue. The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but it fled.

Police ended the pursuit at Avonoak Terrace and Glenoaks Boulevard, during which the foursome exited the vehicle and fled on foot, police said.

Police detained one of the four males, and a police dog later found the remaining three, who were arrested, police said.

The couple identified the group as the thieves who robbed them earlier, police said. Police are still looking for witnesses and other people who may have been robbed or victimized during the crime spree.

 VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.