In a significant breakthrough, the Burbank Police Department, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Organized Retail Crime Task Force, has arrested two men in connection with a series of armed robberies across multiple cities.
The Los Angeles Organized Retail Crime Task Force was launched to address the rising issue of organized retail crime in the region. The task force comprises multiple Southern California law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, as well as the U.S. Marshals Apprehension Task Force and Federal Bureau of Investigation Apprehension Task Force1. The task force features 22 full-time investigators devoted to organized retail crime. The California Highway Patrol has also tripled its resources in Los Angeles to help address organized retail crime.
The crime spree began on December 27, 2023, with a robbery at Macy’s in Manhattan Beach, and continued with incidents in Downey and Los Angeles. The most recent robbery occurred on January 6, 2024, at Macy’s in Burbank, where a masked man stole jewelry and fled to a waiting vehicle.
The suspects, identified as 32-year-old Ivory McFarland and 33-year-old Craig Stewart, both from Los Angeles, were linked to these crimes through an extensive investigation. Both men have extensive violent criminal histories.
McFarland was apprehended on January 12, 2024, in Los Angeles, while Stewart was taken into custody on January 17, 2024, in Van Nuys, with the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gang and Narcotics Division and the United States Marshal’s Task Force. Evidence linking the two men to the crimes was found during their arrests.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed several counts of robbery and one count of assault with a firearm against McFarland, who is currently being held on $1,325,000 bail. He is due to appear in Pasadena Court on February 7, 2024. Stewart, who is currently being held on $150,000 bail, faces two counts of robbery and is due to appear in Pasadena Court on January 24, 2024.
The case remains under investigation by the Burbank, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, and Downey Police Departments. The Burbank Police Department has expressed gratitude for the partnership and collaborative working relationship with the Los Angeles Organized Retail Crime Task Force and other involved allied agencies.
Anyone with information on this investigation is urged to contact the Burbank Police Department Detective Bureau at (818) 238-3210.
