PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Police are asking for the public's help in locating two suspects who were involved in a robbery and kidnapping at an Ocean Avenue motel last month.
Santa Monica police on Tuesday released photos of the suspects, identified as 26-year-old Sergio Raul Gutierrez of Oxnard, Calif., and 23-year-old Melissa Lizeth Castillo Gomez of Los Angeles.
Gutierrez was described as a Latino male, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Gomez was described as a Latino female, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
The two are dating, police said, and may still be living in the Los Angeles area. Warrants have been issued for their arrests and their bail has been set at $2,350,000.
Police said that on April 21 at approximately 11:30 p.m. they received a report of a disturbance at the Seaview Motel, located at 1760 Ocean Ave. When they arrived the officers saw several suspects fleeing the scene on foot. Four of the suspects were taken into custody and four handguns were recovered. As many as four suspects were able to evade capture.
Two of the five victims were taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Police said they were roughed up.
No word on why the suspects were at the motel. Police said last month that the victims and suspects may have known one another and the robbery was retaliation for a business deal that went sour.
Anyone with information about the crime or the whereabouts of the two outstanding suspects are urged to contact the Santa Monica Police Department at 310 458-8495.
If you wish to remain anonymous, call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME (1-800-78-27463) or submit the tip online at www.wetip.com. You will remain completely anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 if your information leads to an arrest and conviction.
Callers can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, texting from a cell phone or by visiting their website at www.lacrimestoppers.org. Callers may remain anonymous and may be qualified to receive a $1,000 reward by Crime Stoppers.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
