Crystal Inn’s “Preppy” Killer Sought by Anaheim Police

UPDATE NO. 2, DEC. 19, 8:16 A.M.: Luke Theodore Lampers, a murder-kidnapping suspect wanted by Anaheim Police, was shot by authorities in San Diego late last night and is now being treated for undisclosed wounds at a hospital in that area.

The events that led to the officer-involved shooting were set in motion after apparent kidnapping victim Brianne Perri Deese called her father to say she had escaped her captor in San Diego, according to Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt. Detectives and officers from Anaheim and San Diego immediately located the 23-year-old and also moved on to a motel in the 4000 block of Taylor in San Diego, where Lampers was believed to be. The 35-year-old was seen arriving at the motel in a vehicle, but when he was confronted he ran off, Wyatt says. The shooting happened after a brief foot pursuit, says the spokesman, adding Lampers’ “condition is not known at this time.” Both departments are investigating the capture.

UPDATE NO. 1, DEC. 12, 4:35 P.M.: The Anaheim Police Department has identified the victim, suspected killer and more details about the alleged kidnapping at Crystal Inn. Luke Theodore Lampers, a 35-year-old transient, “has been positively identified as the suspect who shot and killed Douglas Navarro,” 49, of Anaheim, according to police Sgt. Daron Wyatt. “The reason for the dispute and the motive for the shooting are still under investigation,” he added.

Lampers is also suspected of kidnapping Brianne Deese from the motel and forcing her into his vehicle at gunpoint, said Wyatt, who added the pair had been in a romantic relationship “and detectives believe she is being held against her will.” They were in a 2011 orange Nissan Cube, California license plate No. 6SOY425, with Deese in the passenger seat. “Lampers is considered armed and dangerous,” Wyatt said. “If you see Lampers or the vehicle, do not approach, but call 9-1-1 immediately.”

ORIGINAL POST, DEC. 12, 8:50 A.M.: The Anaheim Police Department is hunting for a “preppy” killer.

No, the wanted man is not slaying those given to wearing their Ivy League school pins on their Tommy Hilfiger V-necks while holding lacrosse sticks.

The manhunt is on for a Hispanic, 20-30 years old and bald with an average build and a “preppy” appearance, according to Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt.

Some time before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the gunman and a female passenger pulled into the Crystal Inn, 2123 W. Lincoln Ave., in an orange or gold Nissan Cube or similar vehicle with a “boxy” body style, said Wyatt, citing witness statements.

The man got into an argument with motel residents before a 49-year-old man stepped in and asked the preppy perp to leave.

That’s when the gunman fired at least once into the peacekeeper’s chest.

Several 9-1-1 calls about a shooting sent Anaheim cops and paramedics to the motel, where they managed to keep the shooting victim alive until he got to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was pronounced dead, Wyatt said.

By then, the prep and woman with him had driven off.

“There is no known relationship or prior contact between the suspect and the victim,” whose name was not released pending notification of next of kin, Wyatt said.

“There are unconfirmed reports the male forced the female to leave with him so the possibility of a kidnapping has not been ruled out,” the Anaheim PD spokesman added.

Crystal Inn found itself under international headlines in May 2015, when FBI agents searched the motel room of Nader Elhuzayel and his parents. The 25-year-old was sentenced this past Sept. 29 to 30 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and committing 26 counts of bank fraud.

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