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BARSTOW – A Los Angeles man’s carjacking plan went awry from the moment he began driving the stolen vehicle on Friday night. The suspect, 24-year-old Guillermo Rivera was driving on the northbound I-15 when the vehicle he was driving broke down near Dale Evans Parkway. A good samaritan stopped to help Rivera and gave him a ride to the Shell Station in Barstow.

At approximately 11:00 p.m. Rivera, apparently determined to get to his destination no matter what it took spotted a male victim sitting in his car at the gas station. He approached the victim and demanded money. Without a moment to even respond to Rivera, the victim was grabbed and pulled out of his vehicle. Rivera got into the vehicle and when attempting to leave, he mistakenly put the 2007 Nissan Quest into reverse and crashed into the fuel pump. The pump caught fire, but Rivera, determined to leave kept going toward the freeway.

At around 11:05 p.m. Barstow Police Dispatch Center received a call regarding a fire at the Shell Gas Station, located at 2870 Lenwood Road. Police and firefighters responded to find a gas pump on fire. Barstow Police and CHP officers closed the road while the firefighters worked on extinguishing it. During the investigation, authorities learned of the carjacking and made contact with the victim. The California Highway Patrol was given information about the description of the stolen vehicle and began a search of the area.

At around 11:35 p.m. CHP received a report of a pedestrian on the 15 freeway near the Avenue L off-ramp. When responding to the area, the stolen Nissan Quest was found disabled in the center median. The male pedestrian was also located and he matched the description of the carjacking suspect. He was then positively identified by the witnesses and victim as the suspect who stole the victim’s vehicle.

Through investigation, it was learned that the first vehicle that Rivera was driving that had broken down on Dale Evans Parkway was also reported stolen. Rivera was booked into the San Bernardino County Jail in Barstow for carjacking, vehicle theft, and possession of stolen property. He was later transported to the West Valley Detention Center and is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact Corporal Catherine Greig at the Barstow Police Department, (760) 256-2211. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.