LOS ANGELES, CA — A South Los Angeles man has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a violent, weeks-long robbery spree that targeted victims in parking lots across Southern California and ended with a shooting during an attempted Lamborghini carjacking in Orange County.
Oshae Pollard, 23, of Los Angeles’ Manchester Square neighborhood, pleaded guilty Sept. 2 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery, commonly prosecuted under the federal Hobbs Act, and one count involving the possession, use, carrying, brandishing and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Pollard has been in federal custody since December 2024. His guilty plea covers a series of incidents that prosecutors said occurred between Aug. 25 and Sept. 22, 2024, involving victims in Gardena, Carson, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.
Robbery at Gardena casino parking lot
According to the federal plea agreement, the series began Aug. 25, 2024, in the parking lot of Hustler Casino in Gardena.
Prosecutors said Pollard approached a woman, pushed her to the ground and attempted to pull away her purse. He then produced a firearm and forced it into the victim’s mouth, breaking her teeth.
The woman was also threatened with death if she screamed, according to prosecutors. Pollard ultimately took approximately $1,000 before leaving the area.
The incident was one of several robberies in which prosecutors said victims were confronted in or around parking areas, putting people at risk in locations where they would normally be arriving at or leaving businesses.
Taxi driver robbed in Carson
The following day, Aug. 26, prosecutors said Pollard robbed another victim in the parking lot of a Winchell’s Donut House in Carson.
The victim was sitting inside a taxi when Pollard allegedly approached with a firearm. According to the plea agreement, Pollard pointed the gun at the man, struck him in the face and took his wallet and cellphone.
The robbery was followed later that same day by another confrontation in Newport Beach, according to federal prosecutors.
Luxury watch and Rolls-Royce keys stolen at Fashion Island
Later on Aug. 26, Pollard and a co-conspirator allegedly targeted victims in the parking lot of Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
One victim was robbed of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, a monogrammed brown Berluti wallet and the keys to a Rolls-Royce. Federal prosecutors valued the stolen property at approximately $44,000.
The confrontation also escalated when another victim attempted to leave in a vehicle.
According to the plea agreement, a shot was fired into the vehicle as the victim escaped. The bullet barely missed the victim. An earlier federal account of the investigation said police later recovered a 9mm shell casing from the scene.
The incident added another potentially deadly element to the robbery series, as the gunfire occurred while a victim was attempting to flee.
Attempted Lamborghini carjacking ended in shooting
The most serious incident described in the federal case occurred Sept. 22, 2024, at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
Prosecutors said Pollard approached a victim in the parking lot and attempted to steal a Lamborghini Urus. He allegedly pointed a firearm at the victim, demanded the vehicle and other property, and threatened to kill the victim.
The attempted carjacking then turned violent when Pollard shot the victim in the hand and thigh, according to the plea agreement.
The shooting became the final incident identified in the federal case before Pollard’s eventual arrest.
Loaded pistol recovered during arrest
Pollard was arrested Oct. 16, 2024, following a traffic stop, according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities said he was found with the loaded pistol that had been used in the robberies and attempted carjacking, along with a black ski mask. Pollard was later taken into federal custody and has remained detained since December 2024.
The case was investigated by the ATF Orange County Violent Crime Task Force, which includes federal and local law enforcement agencies. The task force listed by prosecutors includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Brea Police Department, Placentia Police Department, Fullerton Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department and Orange County District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa police.
Federal guilty plea and sentencing date
Pollard’s guilty plea resolves the federal charges stemming from the robbery spree, but he has not yet been sentenced.
U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter scheduled Pollard’s sentencing for Jan. 21, 2027.
According to the Justice Department, Pollard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of life imprisonment. The eventual sentence will be determined by the federal court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The guilty plea brings a federal court proceeding to the sentencing stage after a series of violent incidents that prosecutors said stretched across several Southern California communities in less than a month.
