Hemet carjacking, robbery, ends with three arrests

HEMET, Calif. — Three people were arrested after a reported carjacking and robbery that occurred at a Hemet motel Sunday morning, April 18.

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City of Hemet police officers began investigating the incident around 11:40 a.m. after a victim reported having been carjacked and robbed at a Hemet Budget Inn motel. Official radio traffic at the time indicated that the victim told investigating officers that he had been followed by four Hispanic men from a nearby Mobile gas station to the motel.

The suspects, two of whom were armed with a handgun and a knife, then reportedly robbed the victim, taking his wallet, keys, cellphone, and Ford F-250 pickup truck.

Daniel Ortiz Jr., 42, is seen being detained during a traffic stop following reports of a carjacking and robbery that occurred several hours earlier. Hemet Crime Society photo

Several hours later, at around 4:40 p.m., an officer spotted the suspect’s vehicle occupied by a man and woman in the drive-thru of a Popeye’s fast food restaurant at 2901 West Florida, less than a tenth of a mile from where the violent encounter occurred.

After the suspect vehicle pulled out of the drive-thru and entered the Joann’s Fabrics parking lot, officers conducted a high-risk, felony traffic stop and detained both the man and woman without incident.

Officers also located several items of the victim’s stolen property near the drive-thru where the suspect’s vehicle had first been spotted.

The driver of the car, since identified as Daniel Ortiz Jr., 42, of Hemet, was later positively identified as the man who had held the handgun while carjacking and robbing the victim and he was arrested at the scene.

The female passenger, whose name has not been released, was also arrested on unknown charges.

A short time later, while a Community Service Officer was waiting for a tow truck to impound the suspect’s vehicle, an SUV pulled up and its five occupants began asking questions about the suspect’s vehicle.

The five were detained by officers, who learned one of the female occupants of the SUV had a felony warrant for her arrest. The woman, who has not been identified, was arrested, while the others were released and sent on their way.

Although a woman who was inside a vehicle associated with an armed robbery and carjacking was determined to have not been involved in the original incident, she was also reportedly arrested on unknown charges. Hemet Crime Society photo

After his arrest, Ortiz was booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of carjacking, second-degree robbery, and criminal conspiracy.

Online jail records indicate he was released the following day after posting $60,000 bail or bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court Aug 25.

Officials are continuing to search for the three other men reportedly involved in the armed carjacking and robbery and their investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Hemet Police Department at (951) 765-2400. Callers can refer to incident file number 21-2823 and can remain anonymous.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Hemet Crime Society photos

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.

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