Repeat auto theft suspect arrested by RAID team
February 15, 2024
INDIO – The District Attorney’s Office has filed charges, including carjacking, against a man who is accused of threatening to shoot the victim if he didn’t give him his car after the victim has given the defendant a ride.
Alexis Israel Lizarraga, DOB: 9-20-88, of Mecca, was arrested on Jan. 31, 2024, by members of the Riverside Auto-Theft Interdiction Detail (RAID). He was booked and held in lieu of $80,000 bail.
Lizarraga has been charged in case INF2400263 with carjacking, vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, and driving without a license. He entered not guilty pleas to all counts when arraigned on Feb. 2, 2024, and is scheduled for a felony settlement conference on Feb. 26, at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
On Jan. 30, 2024, the victim reported to Indio police that he offered a man a ride from Mecca to Indio. Once at the Indio location, the man threatened to shoot the victim if he didn’t give him his Nissan Sentra. The victim exited the car and the man drove away. The victim was able to identify the suspect as Lizarraga.
The next morning, the stolen Nissan was found abandoned in Mecca. After further investigation, RAID members served a search warrant at Lizarraga’s home, and he was arrested.
When Lizarraga allegedly committed the crimes charged in this case, he was out of custody on his own recognizance for another vehicle theft that happened in December 2023. He was already charged in that case, INF2400023, which also included a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
RAID is a countywide task force comprised of detectives from various Riverside County law enforcement agencies that, in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, investigate and prosecute organized vehicle and vehicle-related theft, to include vehicle theft rings, chop shops, title washing operations, and vehicle identification number switching schemes.
