Teenager Accused Of Carrying Assault Rifle With Mother In Indio Burglary

Three people are in custody, today, accused of taking part in a burglary earlier this week.

Indio police responded to the burglary call on Wednesday afternoon at 2:34pm. The suspects had already left the area with property from the home on the 51-500 block of Monroe Street.

Neighbors, though, had taken a picture of the car they left in. Police say they used that picture to run the license plate number, and track down the suspects.

Thursday, a group of Indio Police’s Special Enforcement Team, detectives, Coachella Valley Gang Task Force, and patrol officers served a search warrant at the home on the 83-100 block of Circle Drive in Indio.

At 5:30pm, the van shown in the picture provided by neighbors drove up, and the three suspects came out, and were arrested.

Thirty-six-year-old Becky Mata, 26-year-old Jesus Lopez, and Mata’s 16-year-old son were all taken into custody after an SKS rifle, a box of shotgun ammunition, and two ounces of marijuana were found in the van.

Police say Mata confessed to the burglary when she was questioned. She was booked in the Indio Jail for a felon in possession of two firearms, ammunition, high cap magazine, sawed off shotgun, assault rifle, and several counts of stolen property. She was also awaiting charges of forging and altering checks.

Jesus Lopez was also booked into the jail for possession of stolen property.

The 16-year-old was booked in the Riverside County Juvenile Hall in Indio for a minor in possession of ammunition and possession of an assault rifle.