SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 20-year-old man accused of carrying out a deadly crime spree at 7-Eleven stores across the Southland is expected to be arraigned next month on three counts of murder, along with attempted murder and other felonies.
The two suspects, Malik Patt and Jason Payne, made their first court appearance July 19, but their arraignment was delayed until Aug. 18.
Patt is facing three counts of murder, along with attempted murder and other felonies in connection with killings that occurred July 11 in or near 7-Eleven stores in Santa Ana and Brea, along with the July 9 killing of a homeless man in North Hills in Los Angeles County.
In addition to the three murder counts, Patt also faces two counts of attempted murder, three counts of robbery and one count of carjacking while armed, according to Spitzer.
The charges against Patt include special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder in the commission of a robbery. The case also includes various sentencing enhancements for personal use or discharge of a handgun.
Patt faces a possible death sentence if prosecutors opt to pursue it. At a minimum, he would face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted at trial.
The co-defendant in the case, 44-year-old Payne, described as a neighbor of Patt, will be charged with three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery, stemming from heists in Santa Ana, La Habra and Brea, Spitzer said.
Spitzer said Payne has been a sort of “mentor” to Patt.
Payne is only expected to be charged with robberies—not murder—at this time because of a change in state law that requires prosecutors to show more evidence that the suspect knew killing was part of the plan and that he acted in a way that showed reckless indifference to the lives of the victims, Spitzer said.
It’s not entirely clear how Patt and Payne are connected, but they are neighbors in Los Angeles and have had a “long-standing relationship,” Spitzer said. Payne was allegedly a driver in the stickups, but Patt is also accused of carjacking a victim to get to the getaway car Payne was driving, Spitzer said.
Spitzer said Patt’s actions sent “chills up my own spine.”
“To see somebody who could just kill people in cold blood like this, it’s just unfathomable. It’s scary,” he said.
Patt and Payne were arrested about 1:10 p.m. Friday in the 1900 block of West 23rd Street, near Normandie Avenue, in South Los Angeles, authorities said. Police said Patt is the main suspect seen in widely circulated surveillance video photos from some of the robberies.
According to Spitzer, the crime spree carried out by Patt began July 9 with the slaying of a homeless man in the 16100 block of Parthenia Street, near Woodley Avenue, in North Hills. That killing occurred about 200 yards away from a 7-Eleven store that was robbed later that day.
Investigators in Los Angeles County were still working to determine if that robbery and another 7-Eleven robbery are connected to Patt or Payne.
Authorities said the 7-Eleven crime spree occurred July 11 beginning in Ontario. Police said just after midnight, the 7-Eleven at 636 N. Vine Avenue was robbed. The suspect held up the store with a handgun, but no shots were fired and no one was injured.
At 1:35 a.m. July 11, the 7-Eleven store at 2410 W. Arrow Route in Upland was robbed, police said.
At 1:50 a.m., the 7-Eleven store at 5102 La Sierra Avenue in Riverside was robbed by a gunman. That robbery escalated, with the suspect shooting a customer, who was hospitalized in what was described as the grave condition.
Minutes after 3 a.m. July 11, the Yum Yum Donuts shop at 2441 N. Tustin Street in Santa Ana was robbed, Valentin said.
About 20 minutes later, 24-year-old Matthew Rule of Santa Ana was fatally shot outside the 7-Eleven store at 302 E. 17th Street in Santa Ana.
Officers found Rule in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the upper body, Santa Ana Police Department Sgt. Maria Lopez said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Santa Ana Police Department Chief David Valentin said Rule was not the primary target of the shooter. The gunman was targeting someone else, but Rule “stepped in” to “redirect” the robber and was shot, Valentin said.
Brea police said they responded at 4:17 a.m. to the 7-Eleven store at 109 W. Lambert Road and found a male store clerk fatally shot in what officers determined to be a robbery. The clerk was later identified as 40-year-old Matthew Hirsch, who died at the scene, police said.
About a half-hour later, the 7-Eleven store at 381 E. Whittier Boulevard in La Habra was robbed, and two people were shot, according to Sgt. Eric Roy of the La Habra Police Department. Both victims were taken to a hospital, and both were expected to survive. Police said the victims were a clerk and a customer.
Based on surveillance images, police said they were able to link the same suspect to all of the heists.
The robberies that occurred in Ontario and Upland will be prosecuted in San Bernardino County, Spitzer said. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the shooting at the 7-Eleven in Riverside if the victim dies, but it will be prosecuted in Riverside County if the victim survives the attack, Spitzer said.
Orange County Board Chairman Doug Chaffee said county officials were discussing a reward, but law enforcement was so efficient that they didn’t have a chance to do it, so they will instead use at least $100,000 to benefit victims of the attacks, Chaffee said. A vote on the victims’ fund is scheduled for Tuesday.
The 7-Eleven company last week offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in the robberies and killings. It was unclear if anyone will be eligible to claim the reward.
“We are grateful that the Orange County District Attorney has announced local law enforcement has apprehended suspects related to the recent violent incidents. We will continue to fully support law enforcement with their investigation,” according to a company statement said issued after the arrests.
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