A man and woman tied to a string of street thefts and robberies were arrested in connection with “a street blessing scam,” police said Wednesday.
Authorities are now searching for one of their victims whose jewelry was stolen.
Claudiu Stoian, 27, and Madalina Paun, 24, were arrested on Tuesday after detectives saw them approach a victim on the sidewalk in the area of 12th Street and Burlington, take the victim’s jewelry and drive away, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers pulled them over and found jewelry, money and “other evidence used to commit the crimes” in their rental vehicle, LAPD said. There were also two young children in the car with them when they were taken into custody.
The two suspects are connected to a series of street robberies and thefts from people in the Pico Union, Westlake and Historic Filipinotown Districts of Los Angeles, LAPD said.
Detectives are now investigating over two dozen cases in the area, going back to February 2021.
The suspects usually drive around in an SUV, with the male driver, a female passenger in the back and one or more young children in car seats.
They then pull up next to people walking on the sidewalk and call them over to their car.
The woman, still seated in the back seat, asks to “bless” the victim’s jewelry or money. She then pulls the the items off, “while simultaneously placing cosmetic jewelry and/or taped up pieces of lottery tickets into the victim’s clothing,” police said.
Police said the man brandished a handgun in at least one of the incidents.
And on two occasions, the woman “blew an unknown substance in the victim’s faces, which caused disorientation,” LAPD officials said.
The victims are typically seniors or people with special needs. The suspects typically also target Spanish-speaking victims around churches, police said.
LAPD asked for public’s help in identifying one of the victims, described as being a Hispanic woman in her 30s with chin-length dyed blond hair.
Stoian and Paun, both residents of Washington, were arrested on suspicion of robbery.
Detectives believe that there are additional suspects out there, as well as unidentified victims.
Anyone with information regarding is urged to call Rampart Robbery Detective A. Trimino at 213-484-3631 or Detective III E. Ignacio at 213-484-3627.