RIVERSIDE: Two men, claiming to be officers, arrested after violent carjack attempt

RIVERSIDE – Authorities arrested two suspects for carjacking, impersonating police officers, and other charges, after the men allegedly attacked a motorist and a security guard during a violent carjacking Monday, Jan. 9. The incident happened in the 7600 block of Railroad Avenue in the Casa Blanca neighborhood of Riverside.

During the violent attacks and attempted carjacking, the suspects claimed they were police officers, according to officials.

Officers responded to the incident after a person called 911 to report the attempted carjacking about 1:30 p.m.

When officers arrived they located and interviewed the victims who told them that two suspects attacked them both during the attempted carjacking.

Officials later identified the two suspects as 23-year-old Angel Manuel Limon and 28-year-old Alexander Zamora. Both men are Riverside residents.

The victim of the attempted carjacking told officers that Limon confronted him as he was sitting in his vehicle in a parking lot at the location.

Limon “demanded the victim’s vehicle and punched him several times through the open driver’s window when he refused,” according to a Riverside PD press release about the incident and arrest.

An on-duty security guard who observed the violent confrontation attempted to intervene on the victim’s behalf.

Both Limon and Zamora allegedly identified themselves as law enforcement officers to the security guard, before both suspects attacked the good Samaritan.

“Neither of these suspects were affiliated with law enforcement,” officials explained in the release.

After assaulting the two victims during the botched carjacking, Limon and Zamora jumped into a different vehicle and fled the area.

Officers converged on the area to search for the two suspects.

A K9 officer located the suspect’s vehicle about one mile away in the area of Indiana and Brockton Avenues. Officers conducted a “high-risk felony traffic stop” at which time they safely detained both suspects.

During their investigation officers determined both Limon and Zamora were already on probation for other crimes.

The victims later positively identified both Limon and Zamora as the suspects in the incident.

Based on the victim’s statements and positive identification of the two suspects, officers arrested both men and booked them into the Robert Presley Detention Center for a variety of charges.

Officers booked Limon into jail on suspicion of attempted carjacking, battery on a peace officer or emergency personnel, conspiracy to commit a felony, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, impersonating a police officer, two prior state prison enhancements, and violation of probation. Limon remains in jail, and is being held without bail.

Zamora was booked on suspicion of attempted carjacking, conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery, battery, grand theft from a person, impersonating a police officer, and violation of probation. Zamora is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Both men were scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Wednesday, Jan. 11.

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.