Two men have been arrested for allegedly pretending to be federal law enforcement agents while targeting and robbing Hispanic people in Orange County and elsewhere in the Western United States.
Laurentiu Baceanu and Vasile Alexandru, both 19, were arrested Thursday night about five hours after a pair of robberies in Anaheim were reported, the Anaheim Police Department said in a news release.
Investigators discovered that in both robberies, “the suspects approached the victims, identified themselves as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents, demanded cash from the victims, and then fled in a blue SUV,” the release said.
Officers found the suspects’ blue Audi Q7 SUV in Fullerton and took Baceanu and Alexandru into custody.
They were booked into APD’s jail on multiple charges, including several robbery counts, and they are being held without bail, police said. Jail records show Baceanu is being held at the Theo Lacy Facility, while Alexandru did not appear in a search.
Investigators believe “Alexandru and Baceanu have committed similar robberies in Anaheim, Orange County, and the Western United States” targeting Hispanic people using a badge to pretend to be law enforcement before “demanding the victim’s property.”
In addition to the Audi SUV, they also used a silver or gray Volkswagen Atlas SUV, police said.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Robbery Detective John Carey at 714-765-1973 or JCarey@anaheim.net, the Robbery-Major Assaults Detail at 714-765-1947 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or occrimestoppers.org.