Suspect charged in string of armed robberies of postal workers in Coachella Valley, Los Angeles

Update 4/4/25

The suspects, Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 32, of Victorville and Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., 28, of Los Angeles, were charged on Friday.

Chavarria was set to be arraigned in court on Friday in Riverside, however, court records show that was pushed back to Monday.

Gonzalez is set to be arraigned on Tuesday, jail records show.

Original Report 4/3/25

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) - Two men were arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies on U.S. postal workers in the Coachella Valley and Los Angeles.

A 32-year-old Victorville and a 28-year-old Los Angeles resident were arrested on Friday in Burbank, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office announced.

Investigators were able to identify the duo after a postal worker was robbed at gunpoint on March 24 in Palm Desert.

"During the investigation, it was determined that several additional robberies and attempt robberies of United States postal carriers had occurred in the city of Cathedral City and several cities in Los Angeles County," reads a news release by the Sheriff's Office. "Personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the US Postal Inspector’s Office, and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team collaborated to locate the suspects."

The two men remain in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. The Los Angeles man is being held on $1,000,000. The Victorville man is being held on $80,000 bail.

"The investigation’s success underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in ensuring public safety and holding offenders accountable," the Sheriff's Office wrote.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding these incidents to contact Deputy Granados at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760–836–1600.

Based on the locations of the occurrences, the US Postal Inspector’s Office has assumed this investigation for the filing of federal charges.