Suspects Arrested For Robbery of US Postal Carrier

Reporting Supervisor: Sergeant Jeff Cryder

File # T250830030

Details:

On Monday, March 24, 2025, at 10:45 a.m., deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery near Storke Drive and Bertain Drive, Palm Desert. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a United States postal carrier was robbed at gunpoint. The victim reported an unknown male armed with a firearm exited a vehicle driven by an additional suspect and demanded the postal carrier’s belongings.

Deputies assigned to the Palm Desert Business District Team assumed the investigation and identified the two suspects involved as Luis Alberto Gonzalez, a 32-year-old resident of Victorville, and Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., a 28-year-old resident of Los Angeles. During the investigation, it was determined that several additional robberies and attempt robberies of United States postal carriers had occurred in the city of Cathedral City and several cities in Los Angeles County. Arrest warrants were issued for both suspects. Personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the US Postal Inspector’s Office, and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team collaborated to locate the suspects.

On Friday, March 28, 2025, Burbank Police Department officers conducted an unrelated vehicle enforcement stop in the city of Burbank. Chavarria and Gonzalez were in the vehicle and taken into custody. Riverside Sheriff’s personnel took custody of Chavarria and Gonzalez and booked them into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on robbery charges.

The investigation’s success underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in ensuring public safety and holding offenders accountable. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding these incidents to contact Deputy Granados at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760–836–1600.

Based on the locations of the occurrences, the US Postal Inspector’s Office has assumed this investigation for the filing of federal charges. The US Postal Inspector’s Office will handle all media inquiries regarding this investigation and can be contacted at (877) 876–2455 and reference case #4484725-ROBB.

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