Robbery arrest collars suspect in unsolved 2015 San Dimas murder
A suspect in a string of crimes up and down the state has allegedly admitted to being involved in the unsolved murder of a San Dimas sandwich shop owner, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Friday.
Sergey Gutsu, 24, was one of two men taken into custody in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, during a pursuit that followed an armored car robbery.
While he was in custody, local detectives learned that Gutsu, and his alleged robbery accomplice, 23-year-old Ivan Morales, were involved in other crimes, according to investigators.
Detectives with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department traveled to Santa Rosa on Wednesday to interview Gutsu. During the interrogation, Gutsu allegedly admitted to being involved in the murder of Pravin Raojibhai “Peter” Patel, the 62-year-old proprietor of a Quiznos sub shop.
Patel lost his life during an altercation on June 2, 2015, just after noon. A man entered the store, brandished a handgun and took the contents of the cash register. Patel followed him outside and tried to detain him.
The robber shot Patel in the abdomen; he later died at a hospital. Authorities offered a $20,000 reward and circulated a composite sketch of the suspect, describing him as a tall and skinny white or Latino in his mid 20s, wearing a baseball hat, black T-shirt and plaid shorts.
The apparent break in the case was the result of another violent incident, hundreds of miles away.
On Tuesday, Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies pursued two suspects in an armored car holdup in the town of Windsor. One of the two shot and wounded the armored car driver.
Sonoma County deputies pursued, with one or both of the suspects shooting at deputies before being captured.
Detectives still are looking for additional leads and urge anyone with information to contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Tipsters or witnesses may also provide information online at https://lacrimestoppers.org.
Twitter: @howardblume
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