Gunman in Downey armed robbery faces federal sentencing

An ex-con from Long Beach faces sentencing Wednesday for his role in the armed robberies of a liquor store, gas station, and convenience store -- a crime spree that ended in the death of an innocent bystander and the injury of another in a car accident while the defendants fled from police.

Kaelenn Maea, 29, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court in April 2025 to three counts: conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, and possession, brandishing and discharging a short-barreled rifle during a violent crime.

Prosecutors are requesting a prison sentence of 17 years and six months.

During the armed robbery spree, the defendant "pointed a short- barreled rifle at store employees and customers while he robbed three different stores with his co-conspirators, even once needlessly and intentionally shooting the rifle into the air," federal prosecutors wrote in sentencing papers.

Salagi Iakopo, 33, of Carson, and Mathew Salanoa, 26, of Placentia, admitted having committed armed robberies with Maea in September 2023 in Downey, Compton and South El Monte, according to court records.

In each heist, Maea used the rifle to control the cashier and customers while another robber took full cash registers or drawers before the suspects fled in a stolen Range Rover, prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, in the trio's final robbery on Oct. 9, 2023, in the South Gate area, the defendants fled in the SUV driven by Maea and immediately hit another car while attempting to escape authorities, killing the innocent 34-year-old driver and injuring a bystander.

The suspects then ran away, but Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies found Iakopo hiding in a trash can in the area, an affidavit states.

Deputies say they later found clothing belonging to Maea beside a small crawl space under a nearby house. Inside the Range Rover, deputies found clothing, identification and a phone also believed to belong to Maea, according to the affidavit.

Salanoa pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge and was sentenced to four years and one month in prison. Iakopo also pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 19.

Court papers show that Maea was previously sentenced to six years in prison for his part in a January 2016 home-invasion armed robbery where his crew pointed guns at two residents who were sleeping, stole $299 worth of property, and crashed their car into a street pole during a high-speed pursuit.