Anaheim police searching for other potential victims of robbers posing as ICE agents

Anaheim police are searching for other potential victims of two men who were arrested last week for robberies where they posed as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, flashing fake badges, to steal cash from their victims.

In the early evening on June 20, Anaheim police responded to two robberies that happened within an hour of each other. They discovered that the robberies were connected as in both situations, the suspects said they were ICE agents, demanded cash and fled in a blue SUV.  Detectives also determined that there were other recent robberies with the same circumstances.

Five hours later, police found the suspect vehicle in Fullerton and arrested 19-year-old Laurentiu Baceanu and 19-year-old Vasile Alexandru. Both men were booked on several counts of robbery and other offenses and are being held without bail.

Detectives believe the two men have committed similar robberies, targeting Hispanic victims in Anaheim, Orange County, and the Western United States.  

Police say Alexandru and Baceanu spoke Spanish during the robberies and presented a badge, falsely identifying themselves as law enforcement, before demanding the victim's property. It is believed the men used different vehicles, including a silver or gray Volkswagen Atlas SUV and a blue Audi Q7 SUV, as they committed these crimes.