Filipino in $1.5-M casino robbery arrested in LA

A 25-year-old Filipino suspected of masterminding a $1.5 million casino robbery in California has been arrested at a hotel near the in Los Angeles international airport. Rolando Luda Ramos worked at the Soboba Indian Casino at Riverside County for two years as a technician on its video surveillance systems before the robbery. He purportedly disabled several security cameras before pulling off the heist. Ramos, who will be arraigned today, was booked on Saturday at Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of strong armed robbery, false imprisonment, battery with injury and kidnapping. Eric Alan Magdaleno Aguilera, 23, the alleged accomplice and getaway driver of Ramos, was arrested Friday. Police found $500,000 in cash at his apartment during a search. Aguilera is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery in concern, false imprisonment and battery with injury. Police believed that Ramos and Aguilera divided the $1.5 million loot before parting ways after the robbery. About $1.3 million of the stolen money had so far been recovered. California-based CBS 2/KCAL 9 News channel reported that Aguilera supposedly drove Ramos’ black Ford Mustang used in the casino robbery last Thursday. Investigators said Ramos had an unarmed security guard and a security guard trainee escort him into the casino vault at dawn on Thursday on the pretense of working on equipment. Ramos was still on a 36-month probation for driving under the influence at the time of his arrest. - GMANews.TV