Santa Ana: Deadly 7-Eleven Robbery Spree Suspects Booked Into Jail

Malik Donyae Patt, 20 (left), and Jason Lamont Payne, 44 (right), both of Los Angeles, are charged in connection with a series of deadly robberies at 7-Eleven stores across southern California. Photos by Santa Ana Police Department.

07.16.2022 | 3:00 PM | SANTA ANA – Two men charged with a series of violent 7-Eleven robberies that left two dead and injured three others were booked into jail, police said Saturday.

Malik Donyae Patt, 20, and Jason Lamont Payne, 44, both of Los Angeles, were booked into the Orange County Jail after being captured by the ATF’s Orange County Violent Crime Task Force following the robbery series that spanned los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties.

Investigators tracked the pair to a home in the 1900 block of West 23rd Street in Los Angeles just days after the string of violent, highly publicized robberies that claimed two lives and injured three others.

A still photo from surveillance footage depicts Malik Donyae Patt, 20, of Los Angeles, who authorities identified as the man who murdered two and injured three others during a string of violent robberies on Jul. 11, 2022. Photo by Brea Police Department.

The Jul. 11, 2022 robberies began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven located in the 600 block of North Vine Avenue in Ontario followed by a second robbery around 12:40 AM at another 7-Eleven in the 2400 block of West Arrow Route in Upland/

Then, violence erupted during a robbery at a 7-Eleven in the 5200 block of La Sierra Avenue in Riverside around 1:50 AM when a customer inside the store was shot by Patt, police said.

A second shooting occurred in the parking lot of another 7-Eleven convenience store in the 300 block of East 17th Street in Santa Ana where a man, later identified as 24-year-old Matthew Rule, of Santa Ana, was found shot to death around 3:23 AM.

Less than an hour later, around 4:18 AM, a male clerk, later identified as 40-year-old Matthew Hirsch, of La Habra, was found shot to death inside another 7-Eleven in the 100 block of West Lambert Road in Brea following yet another robbery.

Then, minutes later, around 4:55 AM, two other victims were found shot by officers responding to reports of a robbery at a 7-Eleven in the 300 block of East Whittier Boulevard in La Habra. Both victim, believed to be a clerk and customer, were transported to area hospitals where they were described as being in “stable” condition.

In total two people were killed and three others injured in the shootings that all took place on National 7/11 Day, an annual event where customers receive a free Slurpee drink 7-Eleven convenience stores.

In addition to being suspects in 11 different Jul. 11, 2022 robberies, the pair is also suspected of shooting a homeless person in the North Hills on Jul. 9. That shooting preceded a series of four nearby robberies which may be tied to the duos crime spree.

Those robberies victimized two 7-Eleven stores and two doughnut shops in under two hours.

Both Patt and Payne are facing numerous charges and could face the death penalty if convicted. Jail records indicate Patt, who is said to be unemployed, is being held without the possibility of bail while Payne was listed as “in receiving.”

Miles Madison

Miles started reporting breaking news in 2015 and has been providing high-quality news video and timely reports from the Orange County area ever since. Combining his experience as a seasoned photojournalist, radio operator and sleuth, Miles provides unrivaled multimedia news reports.