Four teenage boys were arrested in connection with a string of robberies targeting pedestrians in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, authorities announced in a news conference on Tuesday, as the search for more potential victims continued.

The three 16-year-olds and one 13-year-old are suspected of taking part in more than 15 robberies over the last few weeks, according to investigators.

Airsoft guns allegedly used during multiple robberies are displayed at a news conference in Fontana on Aug. 14, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

Riverside police stated in a previous news release that the boys allegedly borrowed their parents’ car to commit at least 10 robberies between July 23 and Aug. 6. However, officials explained on Tuesday that the number of robberies appeared to be greater.

Fontana police Officer Jay Sayegh said the department began receiving reports on Sept. 24 of pedestrians being robbed of their personal property by armed suspects, who were described as three black males and one white male.

The victims, including men and women, described the suspects’ vehicle as a black BMW.

Sayegh detailed seven robberies took place through Aug. 5. High-end purses, wallets, cellphones and a person's shoes were among the property stolen, police said.

Motorists also contacted authorities to report that suspects, believed to be the teen boys, pointed handguns at them, the officer explained. In one case, a driver claimed being the victim of an attempted robbery while in a parked vehicle.

During the course of the investigation, officials identified the four suspects and learned that both a black BMW and silver Infinity were used during the crimes, police said.

Fontana police arrested three of the perpetrators on Aug. 7 and the fourth one two days later, according to the Riverside Police Department. Their names were not released because they are juveniles.

The weapons used during the robberies actually turned out to be airsoft guns, according to Sayegh, who explained that these can still pose a danger.

“If you look at these, this is what we’re faced with every single day,” he said. “We have split seconds to defend our lives, to defend the lives of the public and everybody else that we serve, and if you look at these there’s no way that anybody can determine that that was fake within a split second. I mean, it wasn’t until detectives had them in their hands and realized these aren’t real weapons.”

Fontana police Lt. Carlo Granillo stressed that these were serious incidents.

“Whether it is simulated weapons, altered weapons, replica weapons, these folks were genuinely victimized and thought they were going to be assaulted or worse,” he said. “So to be able to have a peaceful resolution to this, to get these individuals into custody despite their ages is an outstanding outcome with no officer-involved shooting, no use of force, no injury to additional victims and also the suspects.”

Investigators believe more robberies, which have gone unreported, may have occurred in other parts of the Inland Empire, including Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino and Montclair.

Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren joined law enforcement in their efforts to encourage other potential victims to come forward.

“If you see something, say something,” she said. “If you feel that this happened to you, or you know of other people, please come forward.”

Anyone who believes he or she may have been a victim or has information about this case was asked to contact the Fontana Police Department at 909-350-7740.

A woman who is seven months pregnant was rushed to the hospital after her vehicle was hit by a driver believed to be intoxicated in Fontana on Wednesday, police said.

The crash occurred at about 7:15 p.m. near the intersection of Catawba and San Bernardino avenues, according to Fontana Police Officer Jay Sayegh.

The woman, traveling north on Catawba Avenue, had stopped at a stop sign then proceeded through.

At the same time, another vehicle was heading eastbound at the intersection and failed to yield at the four-way stop, Sayegh said. That driver T-boned the woman's car.

Sayegh said police were unsure of the victim's condition, but detectives were handling the scene as if a fatality had occurred.

The other party was not injured, Sayegh said, but the officer didn't know whether that person had been arrested.

No further details were immediately available.

Police on Tuesday said they were searching for possible additional victims of a man accused of entering a Fontana home and masturbating in a 13-year-old girl's bedroom.

Jonathan Emmanuel Ward is seen in a booking photo released by Fontana police.

Officers responded to the 14100 block of Stanislaus Court last Thursday after a resident called around 2:42 a.m. to report a male intruder in her home, according to a Fontana Police Department news release.

The woman told police that a naked man went into her teen daughter's bedroom and started masturbating while she slept, the release stated.

The victim woke up to find the man hovering over her and screamed, causing the suspect to flee, according to police. He ran from the girl's room, down the stairs and left the home.

Officers arrived at the home within minutes, but the man was gone by then.

However, they were able to obtain surveillance video from the residence that showed the naked man inside. At one point, he "looked directly into the camera and placed his finger over his lips as if signaling to be quiet," the release said, describing what some of the footage showed.

Detectives quickly identified the suspect as 21-year-old Jonathan Emmanuel Ward of Fontana. He was arrested at his home in the 7000 block of Nebraska Street later that same day, authorities said.

When detectives interviewed Ward, they identified other potential victims -- and believe there could be others who haven't contacted police yet, according to the release.

Ward possibly focused on a dance studio in the Inland Empire, though they did not give the name or area where it was located. He allegedly "became infatuated with several young girls" at the studio, police said.

The suspect is accused of targeting girls through social media, using photos posted to their accounts to figure out where they lived.

"Ward would often enter the rear yards of the victim’s residence and on occasion, enter their homes when he would find an unlocked door," the release stated.

He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of burglary, child annoyance and indecent exposure, according to inmate records.

Because of a similar arrest last year in Fontana, a $1 million bail enhancement was issued.

Police have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning where they are expected to release images and video of the suspect as they try to locate other possible victims.

As they searched for additional victims of a man who stood naked in a sleeping girl's bedroom and masturbated, Fontana police on Wednesday released surveillance video of the intruder.

Jonathan Emmanuel Ward is seen in a booking photo released by Fontana police.

The video's release came a day after police announced the arrest of 21-year-old Jonathan Emmanuel Ward in connection with the incident, which took place last week.

Police also revealed at a news conference Wednesday morning that investigators are now aware of at least three total victims in the case – with others still likely out there.

"We believe that there are many additional victims who might have not reported this crime," Fontana Police Department Officer Jay Sayegh said at the news conference.

Ward was arrested on Aug. 30, hours after a woman reported a naked man had entered a home in the 14100 block of Stanislaus Court and masturbated in the bedroom of her sleeping 13-year-old daughter, according to police.

Newly released surveillance video from the home shows a man – without clothes on – inside the two-story house. At one point, the naked man looks directly at the camera and put a finger over his lips, signaling for quiet.

He then walks up the stairs and, after going into one room, appears to make his way to the teen's bedroom.

The victim woke up to find the man looming over her. She screamed, causing him to run out and leave the home, according to police.

Her screams could be heard in the surveillance video, which also showed the still-nude man fleeing.

“It’s disgusting what he did," Sayegh said.

Ward was arrested later that night at his home in Fontana. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center and is being held on a $1 million bail enhancement from a similar case last year.

Sayegh didn't offer many details in the 2017 case, saying only that Ward was allegedly caught on video entering a different home fully naked.

While he was never arrested in connection with that incident, prosecutors did file charges against him, according to Sayegh. Ward appeared in court in connection with that case one day before his arrest last week, the officer noted.

Investigators believe Ward focused on a dance studio in the Inland Empire where he "became infatuated with several young girls," police said. The studio is not being named to protect the identities of potential victims.

He allegedly used social media to prey on the girls, finding out where they lived through photos posted on the accounts, according to police.

"He was able to just view photographs ... and was able to narrow down and identify the residence of the victim in this case that we're talking about," Sayegh said.

Ward might have followed some of the victims home from the dance studio, Sayegh said, cautioning that the case is still being investigated.

In some instances, the suspect is believed to have entered the rear yards of a victim's residence. On other occasions, if a door was left unlocked, he would let himself in, police said.

In the Aug. 30 incident, Ward got in through an unlocked sliding door, according to Sayegh.

Police are hoping the release of the suspect's booking photo as well as the surveillance video could lead to the identification of other potential victims.

"That’s primarily the focus of this, to get that image out there, in the hopes to identify any other victims," Sayegh said.

Anyone with information is encouraged to email Detective Miller at rmiller@fontana.org.

An undercover sting by federal investigators led to three drug-traffickers in the Inland Empire being indicted on suspicion of distributing nearly 26,000 pills containing carfentanyl, a powerful elephant tranquilizer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced Thursday.

The drug — used as a tranquilizer for elephants and other large mammals — is a powerful fentanyl analogue that’s “many times more potent” than heroin or fentanyl itself, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

This is the first case of carfentanyl distribution being charged in federal court in the Central District of California, prosecutors said.

The three people named in the indictment include Jose Jesus Camacho-Martinez, 32, of Downey and Fontana residents Alejandra Romero-Agredano, 49, and Jorge Martin, 27, prosecutors said. Each faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison if they’re convicted or maximum sentences of life in prison.

They were arrested on Sept. 7 following an undercover sting by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Those agents negotiated having the thousands of pills delivered to the Inland Empire with a co-conspirator based in Mexico, federal prosecutors said. Romero-Agredano coordinated distribution of the drugs as she worked with Camacho-Martinez and Martin to deliver three separate shipments to the undercover agents, prosecutors said.

Martin is expected to be arraigned on Sept. 26 while Romero-Agredano will face her arraignment on Oct. 3 and Camacho-Martinez will be arraigned on Oct. 11.

The Fontana and Ontario police departments helped DEA agents investigate the case. No other details were released by prosecutors.

A 54-year-old man was arrested at his home in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of possessing more than 600 images of child pornography, the Fontana Police Department announced Thursday.

Rene Zamora was allegedly distributing pornographic images of prepubescent children online from his girlfriend’s home in Rancho Cucamonga, according to police. He was located by investigators with the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Rene Zamora, 54, is seen in a photo released by the Fontana Police Department on Sept. 27, 2018.

Once detectives identified Zamora as a suspect, authorities served a search warrant at his home in the 6000 block of Jasper Street on Wednesday, police said.

There, investigators found a laptop computer with storage devices that contained additional images of child pornography, according to police.

Zamora was detained without incident and booked on suspicion of distribution of child pornography and possession of over 600 child pornographic images involving prepubescent minors, police said.

He was later taken into custody at West Valley Detention Center.

Fontana police investigators arrested a 70-year-old Rancho Cucamonga man who is already a registered sex offender Wednesday on suspicion of possessing hundreds of pieces of child pornography depicting young victims, authorities said.

WIlliam Dane, 70, of Rancho Cucamonga, in a booking photo released by the Fontana Police Department following his arrest on Oct. 10, 2018.

William Rado Dane has been booked on suspicion of possession of child pornography, according to Fontana Police Department officials and San Bernardino County booking records.

Prior to the arrest, detectives from the Fontana police Internet Crimes Against Children task force determined Dane had been advertising to distribute pornographic images of young children over the internet from his home, police said in a written statement. Investigators also found that Dane was a registered sex offender due to a prior conviction.

Police took him into custody without a struggle at his home on Wednesday, police said. Several computers and electronic storage devices were seized as evidence.

“A preliminary forensic search of the items revealed several hundred child pornographic video and images which contained prepubescent children,” the police statement said.

Dane’s bail has been set at $100,000 pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Friday in the Rancho Cucamonga branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court.

A Rancho Cucamonga man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possessing pornography involving prepubescent children, according to Fontana police.

Tresbien Hunter, 32, was taken into custody after authorities served a search warrant at his home in the 7900 block of Day Creek Boulevard, police said.

Tresbien Hunter, 32, is seen in a photo released by Fontana police on Oct. 18, 2018.

Upon searching his home, authorities found digital storage devices which a preliminary forensic search determined to contain child porn, according to police.

Hunter is also accused of distributing the child porn online and has been booked into the Fontana Police Department and later transported to the West Valley Detention Center.

Detectives with the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led the investigation.

Fontana police detectives arrested a Rialto man Wednesday on suspicion of possessing child pornography and distributing the images online, officials said.

Investigators from the Fontana Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force took Antonio German Armas, 61, into custody about 1:30 p.m. , according to Fontana police officials and San Bernardino County booking records.

Antonio German Armas, 61, of Rialto, pictured in a booking photo following his arrest by the Fontana Police Department on Oct. 24, 2018.

Detectives carried out a search warrant at Armas’ home in the 3000 block of Tamarind Avenue in Rialto Wednesday morning, Fontana police said in a written statement. They seized several electronic storage devices.

“(Armas) was later arrested at his work without incident in the city of San Dimas,” the statement said.

Bail was set at $25,000 pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Friday in the Rancho Cucamonga branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court, records show.

A 3-year-old boy died and his mother was injured in a stabbing inside their Fontana home on Thursday afternoon, police said.

The stabbing was first reported about 5:40 p.m. in a residential neighborhood in the 11700 block of Belmonte Road, Fontana Police Department Officer Rich Guerrero said.

Family members had discovered the victims with multiple stab wounds and immediately called police, Guerrero said.

Both victims were taken to the hospital, where the child died and his mother was listed in critical condition, officials said.

Saul Franco, 20, is seen in a driver's license photo released Nov. 1, 2018, by the Fontana Police Department.

A 20-year-old man appeared at the home after officers responded, and he was subsequently taken into custody as a suspect.

Police identified him as Saul Franco, but did not say what — if any — relationship he had to the victims.

Investigators had yet to determine a motive.

"We hope in any investigation we could determine a motive, but what possibly could cause a motive to stab a child?" Guerrero asked. "It's beyond me."

However, the officer added that it's believed to be an isolated incident.

Further details were not available as the investigation remained in its early stages.

The 3-year-old boy stabbed to death Thursday afternoon in Fontana has been identified by police after the local community gathered for a vigil in his memory Friday night.

Loved ones held flowers and candles, standing before photographs of the child slain just a day earlier. Some could be seen tearfully embracing one another as they mourned the death of Nathan Luna.

The toddler was identified by Fontana police spokesman Jay Sayegh to KTLA on Saturday — following the arrest of a man accused of stabbing him and his mother inside their Fontana home.

Saul Franco, 20, was taken into custody after family members called police to the home on Thursday. The child’s mother, who has not been identified by authorities, was listed in critical condition later that same evening.

Loved ones of 3-year-old Nathan Luna, who was stabbed to death at his Fontana home on Nov. 1, 2018, mourn the toddler’s death during a candlelight vigil the following evening. (Credit: RMG News)

The relationship between the alleged killer and victims has not been released by police. Meanwhile, detectives are trying to piece together a motive, a particularly difficult challenge in this case, said Fontana Police Department Officer Rich Guerrero.

“We hope in any investigation we could determine a motive, but what possibly could cause a motive to stab a child?” Guerrero asked. “It’s beyond me.”

A photo of 3-year-old Nathan Luna, who was killed at his Fontana home on Nov. 1, 2018, sits on the shoulder of a man tearfully grieving the child’s death during a vigil the following day. (Credit: RMG News)

The tragedy has left a lasting impact on the community, which came together the following night to remember Luna.

“I don’t know what would compel a person to hurt a kid like this,” said Eddie Osorrio, one of the people in attendance. “But unfortunately, an event like that makes the community come together.”

No other details have been released by police as the case remains under investigation.

Detectives are seeking clues, as well as surveillance video, in the shooting of a man found fatally wounded in his car in Fontana late Thursday, officials said.

Dianthus Avenue, looking east from Alder Avenue, in Fontana, as pictured in a Google Street View image in March of 2018.

The victim was found about 10:30 p.m., unresponsive in his car along Diamnthus Avenue, east of Alder Avenue, the Fontana Police Department said in a written statement.

But investigators suspect he was shot a little over half a mile away and continued driving for a short time before passing out.

The attacker was believed to have followed the victim from a business in the area of Sierra and Merill avenues, authorities said.

“At this time we believe the victim was followed from the location and the shooting took place in the area of Merrill and Tamarind (avenues). The victim drove to a family member’s house on Dianthus where he lost consciousness,” according to the police statement.

The victim was in a black Ford Escape when he was shot in the arm and torso, officials said.

The motive in the attack was unclear, and no suspect description was available.

“We’re seeking the public’s help in determining what led up to the assault,” the police statement said. “We’re asking residents and businesses in the area of the assault to provide surveillance footage that may help in the case.”

Anyone with information or surveillance camera footage is asked to contact Fontana police Detective Stewart at 909-350-7725.

Detectives arrested two suspects Saturday night in connection with a car-to-car shooting that left a man dead last week, authorities said Sunday.

Christian Vargas, 26, of Fontana and Alejandro Torres, 23, of San Bernardino, pictured in photos released by the Fontana Police Department following their arrests on Nov. 17, 2018.

Christian Rafael Vargas, 26, of Fontana and Alejandro Torres, 23, of San Bernardino were booked on suspicion of murder, according to Fontana Police Department officials and San Bernardino County booking records.

They’re suspected in a deadly shooting that took place about 10:30 p.m., Fontana police said in a written statement.

They followed the victim from a business in the area of Sierra and Merill avenues, police said. The shooting took place at Merril and Tamarind avenues.

The wounded victim managed to drive to the home of a relative along Dianthus Avenue, near Alder Avenue, where he lost consciousness, officials said. The wounded 30-year-old man was taken to a hospital where he died. His identity was not released Sunday.

“Detectives worked nonstop and were able to identify two suspects involved in the crime,” the police statement said.

“The suspects were each arrested near or at their residences,” the statement said. “Evidence linking the suspects to the homicide were located at each residence.”

Vargas and Torres were both being held without bail pending their initial court appearances, scheduled Tuesday in the Rancho Cucamonga branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Fontana police Detective Stewart at 909-350-7725.

A man shot a woman to death and then turned the gun on himself Friday at a mobile home park in Fontana, officials said.

The Capris Mobile Estates, 16860 Slover Ave. in Fontana, as pictured in a Google Street View image in March of 2018.

The shooting was reported about 5 p.m. at the Capri Mobile Estates, 16860 Slover Ave., the Fontana Police Department said in a written statement.

Officers encountered a woman who had been shot, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The male subject who was also on scene was found with what appeared to be a self inflicted gun shot wound and transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased,” according to the statement.

Investigators found the gun believed to have been used in the shooting, which police said they were investigating as a murder-suicide.

“We do not believe anyone is outstanding and there is no danger to the public,” the statement said.

Anyone with information can reach Fontana police at 909-350-7740.

A Fontana man was arrested Monday after police say he repeatedly stabbed and slashed his grandfather with a knife.

Fontana Police were called to a home in the 8900 block of Pepper Avenue around 7:13 p.m., on a reported stabbing.

Police said 21-year-old Anthony Hernandez, of Fontana, got into an argument with his 61-year-old grandfather. Hernandez stabbed and slashed his grandfather twenty times in the face and head, causing great bodily injury.

The victim was able to flee and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Police said Hernandez ran to a neighbor’s house and asked to come inside, with a bloody knife in his hand. Once inside, he told the family he had just killed his grandfather.

He reportedly held the family there against their will, refusing to let them leave or use the phone.

Officers located Hernandez at the home, where he was taken into custody without incident.

Hernandez was booked at West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of attempted homicide and false imprisonment.

A 28-year-old Fontana man has been arrested after he allegedly pretended to be a girl on social media and solicited children for nude photos, police said.

Raul Solis was arrested Monday at his home in the 13000 block of Seville Avenue after the Fontana Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found Solis to be receiving child pornographic images/videos via Facebook.

Officers searched Solis’s home and found several electronic storage devices which he used to view and distribute child pornography through various social media sites, Fontana Police said. Solis was allegedly pretending to be a girl and coercing children to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.

At least three underage children have been identified as victims, although the investigation into Solis’s devices is ongoing.

A 33-year-old Rialto man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of distributing child porn over the internet, authorities said.

Jason Walker, 33, is seen in a photo released by the Fontana Police Department on Dec. 20, 2018.

Investigators served a search warrant at the home of Jason Walker, located along North Apple Avenue, before taking him into custody, according to a Fontana Police Department news release. He was detained without incident.

Several electronic devices were seized from Walker’s home over the course of the search and a forensic analysis later revealed the devices contained hundreds of videos and images depicting child pornography, officials said.

After his arrest, Walker was booked into Fontana Police Department and later transferred to West Valley Detention Center.

The department runs an Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

No other details were released by police.

A man who allegedly burglarized a Fontana home and attempted to sexually assault an 18-year-old resident has been arrested, and police said Wednesday they were able to identify the suspect after he dropped his booking application from the county jail at the scene.

Flavio Hernandez is seen in a booking photo released by Rialto police.

Officers were first dispatched to a home in the 16000 block of Pennard Lane on Tuesday after a woman called to report she had been attacked by a man armed with a knife while she was in bed, according to a Fontana Police Department news release.

Officers didn’t find the suspect immediately, but an investigation revealed that numerous electronics and other items of value had been stolen from the home.

The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Flavio Hernandez of Rialto, police said.

Hernandez allegedly entered the house through the front door, then went to the 18-year-old woman’s bedroom twice. After the first time, he left and moved the stolen property to a different location where it could be retrieved later, according to police.

“He then went back to the residence with the intent to sexually attack the female victim,” the release read.

But the woman woke up to find the suspect trying to sexually assault her and yelled for help, according to investigators. Her screams prompted the man to flee.

Hernandez was identified as the suspect through a San Bernardino County Jail booking application that he dropped at the scene, authorities said.

He had just been released from jail early after serving a sentence for burglary, according to police.

Hernandez was apprehended in San Bernardino later that day and booked at the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of burglary with the intent to commit rape. His bail has been set at $500,000, inmate records showed.

Police arrested a Fontana man Wednesday on suspicion of trading in images of child pornography online, officials said.

Ivan Rodriguez, 22, of Fontana, pictured in a photo released by the Fontana Police Department following his arrest on Jan. 30, 2019.

Ivan Rodriguez, 22, was booked on suspicion of distributing child pornography over the internet after detectives from the Fontana Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested him at his workplace in San Bernardino, Fontana police officials said in a written statement.

Prior to his arrest, investigators carried out a search warrant at Rodriguez’s home in Fontana, police said.

“A search of (Rodriguez’s) electronic storage devices revealed evidence related to the downloading and distribution of child pornography over the internet,” according to the statement.

Information regarding Rodriguez bail and initial court appearance was not available Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities serving a search warrant at the Fontana home of a man they say is a known gang member discovered a clandestine shooting range hidden beneath a hole in the ground Thursday night, police said.

The entrance to the area was concealed beneath a man hole inside the home but uncovered by members of Fontana police’s gang unit, the agency said in a news release.

Inside were numerous weapons alongside thousand of rounds of ammunition, including a 100-round drum for an AR-15 rifle, officials said.

The evidence was seized by investigators and multiple suspects were arrested.

The department said it wanted to highlight the bust as a “friendly message” to gang members.

“We are the champions at Hide n Seek and no man hole will help you,” it said in the statement. “If you hide we will find you. If you run you will go to jail tired.”

The agency also offered some advice: “We strongly recommend that you put as much effort as you did in your underground cave, into becoming a productive member of society.”