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A robber who followed women as they drove home, and shot one of the victims in the face with a BB gun, was sentenced Thursday to 374 years to life in state prison for his San Gabriel Valley crime spree.
Jose Lewis Avila, 33, was found guilty July 23 of nine counts of second- degree robbery and one count each of assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.
Jurors found true allegations that Avila used a BB gun and that he inflicted great bodily injury on the victim who was shot in the face as she held her child.
Prosecutors said Avila committed nine robberies between March and April of 2011, accosting the women when they arrived home and demanding their money and property.
Avila, who had a BB gun and covered his face with a bandana or mask during the hold-ups, was identified as the perpetrator through surveillance video and credit card charges, according to prosecutors.
He was arrested after an April 2011 traffic stop in which police discovered a BB gun, mask and gloves in his car.
The case was investigated by the Alhambra, Arcadia, Monterey Park and San Gabriel police departments.
— City News Service