Altadena Man Arrested On Federal Gun Charge In Connection With BB Gun Shootings At Planned Parenthood In Pasadena
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An Altadena man who allegedly shot at Planned Parenthood in Pasadena with a BB gun several times in the past two years was arrested Friday on a federal gun charge.
Richard Royden Chamberlin, 53, was arrested Friday morning by the FBI on charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. His arrest follows the filing of a one-count criminal complaint that charged Chamberlin with the illegal possession of a .22-caliber handgun during one of the attacks on the women's reproductive health clinic.
Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley reported to police their facility had been shot at multiple times in 2020 and 2021 by someone in a moving vehicle. Video surveillance showed the shots being fired from the open window of a moving Chevrolet Malibu registered to Chamberlin, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges. Planned Parenthood officials suspected the use of a BB gun because they found multiple pellets lodged in the facility near the front door.
"During one of these shootings on March 30, 2021, a patient's support companion was nearly hit as she waited on the front porch," the affidavit said. "In addition to incurring the costs of repairs and added security, Planned Parenthood has had to cancel patient appointments and the staff has been emotionally traumatized not knowing when the next shooting will occur."
Pasadena police officers found Chamberlin in his Malibu near the facility after another reported BB gun shooting on May 7, 2021, prosecutors said. Multiple BB guns, as well as a Phoenix Arms .22-caliber handgun loaded with 10 bullets was found in a backpack on the front passenger seat.
Chamberlin is prohibited from possessing firearms because he was previously convicted of a felony in Arizona.
If convicted as charged, Chamberlin faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
