by Mark McDermott
A United States Postal Service carrier was allegedly attacked by three men who attempted to gain entry into his vehicle, resulting in a police chase that ended in a car accident and the arrests of the suspects.
The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. on August 22. According to police reports, the carrier had parked his truck on the 2600 Block of Elm Street and was out delivering mail when he heard the sound of breaking glass. The carrier returned to his vehicle and saw two men near it. The back window had been broken, and bags of mail were on the ground. He asked them what they were doing and they became aggressive toward him, screaming profanities. They then jumped into a waiting Chevrolet Silverado. A third man, who was driving, allegedly drove at the postal worker in an attempt to injure or at least frighten him. The suspects drove off, and the USPS worker called MBPD. Patrol officers were able to track down the vehicle, but after a high-speed chase lost track of it near the Redondo Beach border. At about 6 p.m. that evening, MBPD patrol officers found the Silverado, on Aviation Boulevard, shortly after it collided with another vehicle. The suspects left the vehicle and began running, but were apprehended by MBPD.
“It’s a pretty wild story, but a great arrest on the part of our patrol guys,” said MBPD Sgt. Andy Abreu. “The diligence of the officers tracking down this vehicle — that is a testament to our patrol officers, who do a great job. When crimes occur, even if the suspects get away, we saturate the area. We do a great job of trying to find these suspects, just good old-fashioned policing.”
Arrested were Nathaniel Guzman, 18, from Huntington Park; Manuel Jose Madueno, 25, from Lynwood; and Etson David Peruel, 18, from Huntington Park. All three were charged with burglary and conspiracy to commit a felony. Madueno, the driver, was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon — the vehicle — felony hit and run, and evading a police officer with wanton disregard of public safety. ER
