Teen Suspects Charged as Adults in $2M Indy Jewelry Heist

INDIANAPOLIS — Two teenagers arrested earlier this month after a $2 million Indianapolis jewelry heist involving a South American theft gang are now being charged as adults in Marion County court.

Emanuel David Gonzalez Mendez, 16, and Angel Jose Pinto Guerrero, 17, were charged last week in Marion Superior Court 29 with felony armed robbery, criminal confinement, resisting law enforcement and unlawful handgun possession. They are currently being held in jail without bond.

Other suspects

Mendez and Guerrero were two of the five suspects arrested in relation to the Aug. 10 heist and a subsequent car chase on Interstate 65 that spanned three counties. After a PIT maneuver stopped their getaway car, police say the suspects ran away on foot and were eventually caught.

The adult suspects have since been identified as Freibrth Adrian Jose Perreira, 31; Oneiver Alfonso Sambrano Garcia, 20; and Jonnder David Mercedes Martinez, 31. All were arrested on a preliminary charge of armed robbery.

All five suspects are reportedly involved in the Venezuelan-based theft gang Tren De Aragua. Court documents filed on Aug. 12 provided details into the pre-planned heist that saw $2 million in jewelry and $65,000 in cash stolen from King Jewelers on Emerson Avenue.

Employees duct-taped

IMPD officers were called just before 1 p.m. Monday to the jewelry store after employees reported that three armed suspects had committed a robbery.

The suspects had reportedly restrained the owner and manager of the store, using duct tape to tie them up. IMPD later said that no one was injured in the robbery.

The group then allegedly loaded up a blue 2007 Acura with various precious metals, jewelry and cash. The car reportedly had an Illinois license plate. The suspects then reportedly fled the scene and drove to a nearby dollar store.

Getaway car flees to Chicago

The Acura that the suspects originally fled in was later found abandoned at a nearby Dollar Tree. Court documents filed on Aug. 14 state that the car was found “extremely clean” and only had a screwdriver left inside.

Security footage from the store showed the suspects then getting into a gold 2009 Toyota Camry that also had an Illinois license plate. A witness later described the suspects’ movements as “hurried but coordinated.”

IMPD alerted Indiana State Police and, using Flock cameras and drones, the Camry was found driving northbound on Interstate 65 near Lebanon. Both ISP troopers and local agencies in Boone County were soon able to track down the car on the interstate.

Authorities then successfully used a PIT maneuver to crash and disable the getaway car in Clinton County. That is when five suspects allegedly got out of the car and attempted to run away on foot.

All five suspects were soon apprehended and taken into custody by local authorities. While searching the crashed Camry, police reportedly found “most, if not all” of the stolen jewelry and cash inside several bags.

During a later interview with police, at least one suspect reportedly said that they were headed back to Chicago to get rid of the getaway car and stolen merchandise.

Tren de Aragua, Chicago connections

Police took all five suspects back to Indianapolis and the three adults were interviewed by detectives. Court documents detail how each of the three men admitted to the heist being pre-planned and organized by an alleged Venezuelan theft group.

Martinez reportedly “fully cooperated” with police and admitted to being the getaway driver behind the wheel of the Camry. He said that he’d been offered $60,000 for simply driving, and that he had “specific instructions” on when and where the robbery was being committed.

The 31-year-old suspect explained how he had arrived in Indianapolis the previous night from Chicago. He had reportedly stayed at a motel in Beech Grove and was told to wait near the Dollar General the next morning.

Garcia had reportedly been the one to drive the blue Acura and took Perreira, Mendez and Guerrero to commit the robbery. The 20-year-old later told officers he had been offered $10,000 to drive the suspects to King Jewelers and then back to the dollar store.

After Garcia drove the other suspects and stolen goods to Martinez, he was reportedly told to “drive back to Chicago as quickly as possible.”

“Martinez stated that all involved were connected to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and that he participated under threats made against him and his family,” court documents read.

While Martinez gave the most complete interview, officials say Garcia “became evasive when asked for details.” Meanwhile, Perreira reportedly said all participants “knew what they were doing” and then later shifted blame toward Mendez and Guerrero.

It was later confirmed that Perreira and the 16-year-old Mendez were also involved in a home robbery in New Jersey on June 6.

What is Tren de Aragua?

Indictments unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice at the end of last year provide details about Tren de Aragua, which they call a violent “terrorist cartel.”

According to the DOJ, the Venezuelan-based gang has been linked to various violent crimes inside and outside the United States, including murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and controlled substance trafficking.

This is not the first time that Tren de Aragua has been involved in Indianapolis-area crime.

In mid-January, law enforcement agencies targeted Tren De Aragua members in northeast Indianapolis. Before that, in November 2025, four Venezuelan suspects were arrested in Monroe County in connection with an ATM theft tactic they called “jackpotting.”

Aftermath

After their interviews, all five suspects were transported to the Marion County Community Justice Campus to be booked into jail.

All suspects have since been officially charged. An initial hearing has since been held in their cases and they are still being held without bond. A jury trial in the juvenile suspects’ cases is set to begin on Nov. 17.

In a statement sent to FOX59/CBS4 after the robbery, the owners of King Jewelers said the following:

“Following the recent incident at King Jewelers, our biggest priority is the safety and well-being of our customers, employees, and community. We are extremely grateful that everyone is safe. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and have taken additional security precautions to further strengthen the safety of our business. We are not able to discuss specific details at this time. We are incredibly thankful for the outpouring of support and concern from our customers and the Indianapolis community.”