A Long Beach man was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Wednesday for attempted residential burglary earlier this year, and his would-be getaway driver was sentenced to 20 months after a guilty plea.
On Jan. 9 at approximately 2:15 a.m., Simi Valley police responded to a report of an attempted break-in on Township Avenue. Shawn Hernandez, 31, of Long Beach, and other unidentified co-conspirators shattered a rear glass sliding door in an attempt to burglarize a home.
When officers arrived, the driver of a Dodge Charger, later identified as co-defendant Karenga Williams, fled the neighborhood, leaving Hernandez and others at the scene and leading police on a short, high-speed pursuit before he crashed the car.
Authorities recovered personal identifying information that belonged to Hernandez after searching Williams’ car.
They also found evidence at several residences surrounding the victim’s home, including a black ski mask, sweatshirt, gloves and a bag in a neighbor’s backyard. One of those gloves contained Hernandez’s DNA, authorities said.
Additionally, detectives also discovered Uber records that showed Hernandez’s rideshare history, including his trip from the Simi Valley neighborhood to South Los Angeles.
Hernandez was convicted by a jury on Aug. 1 of felony attempted first-degree residential burglary and felony conspiracy to commit first-degree residential burglary.
The would-be getaway driver Williams pleaded guilty in June to attempted first-degree residential burglary and evading an officer and was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison.
“Ventura County residents have the right to feel safe and secure in their homes without fear of someone breaking in during the middle of the night,” said Deputy District Attorney Matthew Hovsepian who prosecuted the case. “Thanks to the dedicated work by Simi Valley Police detectives, this conviction can start to restore the victim’s sense of security in her home.”
