PALM DESERT, Calif. (VVNG.com) — Two robbery suspects, including one from Victorville, were arrested in connection with an armed robbery in Palm Desert last month.
On Monday, March 24, 2025, at 10:45 a.m., deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded to a call reporting an armed robbery near Storke Drive and Bertain Drive in Palm Desert.
Upon their arrival, officers found that a U.S. postal carrier had been robbed at gunpoint. The victim reported that an unidentified man, armed with a firearm, exited a vehicle driven by another suspect and demanded the postal carrier’s belongings.
Following a detailed investigation, deputies from the Palm Desert Business District Team identified the suspects as 32-year-old Luis Alberto Gonzalez from Victorville and 28-year-old Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr. from Los Angeles. The investigation also linked the pair to several other robberies and attempted robberies targeting postal carriers in Cathedral City and various areas across Los Angeles County.
Arrest warrants were issued for both suspects, and a joint effort between the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office, and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team led to their capture.
The breakthrough came on Friday, March 28, 2025, when officers from the Burbank Police Department stopped a vehicle for an unrelated reason. Gonzalez and Chavarria were found inside the vehicle and taken into custody without incident. They were later transferred to Riverside County Sheriff’s custody and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on robbery charges.
This successful arrest emphasizes the crucial role of collaboration between multiple law enforcement agencies in safeguarding the community and bringing offenders to justice.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office continues the investigation. Anyone with information regarding the robbery or related incidents is urged to contact Deputy Granados at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760-836-1600.
