Vancouver man sentenced in robbery, car theft

A Vancouver man was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison for robbing a woman of her purse and car at gunpoint, and then leading police on a chase the next day, crashing the stolen car.

Rafael Loera-Luna, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, reckless driving and hit-and-run in one case. He also pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle and reckless driving in a second case, court records show.

At about 6 a.m. Oct. 23, Loera-Luna entered the workplace of Celia Aparicio in the 3300 block of East Fourth Plain Boulevard wearing a bandana. He pulled what appeared to be a handgun from his waistband and demanded the woman’s money. Loera-Luna then took her purse, which contained her car keys, and drove off in her orange Kia Rio, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Police spotted the stolen car the next day and tried to stop it, but the driver sped off. A police chase ensued, and the stolen car eventually crashed into an occupied vehicle near Northeast Andresen Road and Buena Vista Drive, the affidavit states. The driver ran from the scene.

A passenger who was in the Kia identified the suspect driver as Loera-Luna, according to court documents. During a search of the stolen car, police found heroin and a backpack that contained a mask worn in the armed robbery, as well as a black air gun, court records said.

Loera-Luna was later arrested and confessed to committing the armed robbery and driving the stolen Kia, the affidavit states, but he denied being involved in the crash.

On Thursday, he entered a Newton plea to the charges related to the car chase and crash. The plea allows a defendant to acknowledge that a jury could find him guilty of that crime but not admit to guilt; it is treated as a guilty plea.