5 alleged Altadena- and Duarte-based gang members face fed charges

Five alleged members of street gangs based in Altadena and Duarte have been arrested on federal charges of being felons in possession of firearms or ammunition during a shootout in Ontario that investigators say was part of an ongoing dispute with a rival gang, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, all five defendants arrested this week used firearms during the Feb. 17 incident, which occurred during a funeral gathering for a suspected member of an Altadena gang. Investigators with the Ontario Police Department believe the shooting was the result of an attack by a rival gang, the affidavit states.

Surveillance video from the house where the shooting took place showed that once the initial shots were fired, at least five subjects from the funeral party ran from the home’s backyard into the front yard and began firing recklessly at the suspected rivals, according to the affidavit, which notes that bullets struck several homes and vehicles in the neighborhood.

The defendants charged in the criminal complaint are:

• Tristan Jon Taylor, 32, of Ontario, who was arrested on a charge of illegally possessing a .38 special revolver;
• Daniel Corey Roach, 41, of Altadena, who was arrested on a charge of illegal possession of ammunition;
• Dejon Thomas Nunley Sr., 32, of Adelanto, who was arrested on a charge of illegally possessing a 9mm handgun;
• Lionel Roberts, 32, of Altadena, who was arrested on a charge of illegally possessing a small revolver and is expected to make his first federal court appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday; and
• Shawn Terrell Lyndolph, 30, of Rialto, who was arrested on a charge of illegally possessing a semiautomatic handgun.

During court appearances this week, Lyndolph was ordered held without bond, Taylor was ordered jailed pending a detention hearing scheduled for Aug. 10, and both Roach and Nunley were released on bond. Arraignments for the defendants in this case are scheduled for later this month.

The charge of felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition carries a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, according to the DOJ.

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