LOS ANGELES – An Altadena man who allegedly fired BB guns at the Planned Parenthood facility in Pasadena on multiple occasions was arrested today on federal charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm for carrying a loaded handgun during one of the attacks on the women’s reproductive health clinic.
Richard Royden Chamberlin, 53, who currently resides in Altadena, but also maintains a residence in Ontario, was arrested this morning by FBI special agents. The arrest was made pursuant to a one-count criminal complaint filed on January 21 that charges Chamberlin with the illegal possession of a .22-caliber handgun.
Chamberlin is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, on multiple occasions in 2020 and 2021, Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley reported to the police that it had been fired upon by the occupant of a moving vehicle. Video surveillance from several of these attacks showed a Chevrolet Malibu registered to Chamberlin driving by with its window down when the shots were fired. Planned Parenthood suspected Chamberlin was using a BB gun because of 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” of the Planned Parenthood facility, the affidavit states. “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.”
After another reported BB gun shooting on May 7, 2021, the Pasadena Police Department located Chamberlin in his Malibu near the Planned Parenthood facility. Investigators found in Chamberlin’s vehicle multiple BB guns, as well as a Phoenix Arms .22-caliber handgun loaded with 10 bullets in a backpack on the front passenger seat. Chamberlin, who was previously convicted of a felony in Arizona, is prohibited from possessing firearms.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Chamberlin would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The investigation into the attacks on the Planned Parenthood facility is continuing.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Civil Rights Squad and the Pasadena Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frances S. Lewis of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
