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A handgun belonging to Christopher Dorner, a former police officer who went on a fatal 2013 rampage, turned up when investigators searched a Beverly Hills residence in connection to the robbery of a $1m watch.
The bizarre coincidence took place after two suspects from South America were accused of stealing a Patek Philippe timepiece from a man dining with his family on the patio of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on August 7.
Three days later, authorities found a gun registered to Dorner while searching an Airbnb where the suspects were thought to have stayed. Dorner, a former Los Angeles cop, went on a murder spree in which four people were killed in 2013.
He later died in a standoff with police in California’s San Bernardino Mountains.
Colombia national Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 21, and Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, 19, of Venezuela were taken into custody on August 10 in connection with the robbery after being stopped in a car.
Salazar was booked on one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Meanwhile, Rojas has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery.
It’s not known how the gun became in the men’s possession, according to KABC.
“We were very surprised to find out about that gun, and we’re still investigating how that gun came into these defendants’ possession,” Assistant US Attorney Jena MacCabe told KABC.
The luxury watch hadn’t been the first linked to the suspects. Their car, a Chevrolet Equinox, was linked to the robbery of a $30,000 Rolex also in Beverly Hills before they allegedly stole the Patek Philippe accessory.
The men are currently in custody and will appear in court to be arraigned next month.
