Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) investigators have requested the public’s assistance in identifying three suspects in a recent take-over robbery at a retail store in the Fashion District of Downtown.
The incident marked the second take-over robbery in the Fashion District in recent months, and followed a separate incident that saw armed bandits hold up the occupants of a vehicle that had stopped at a red light in the area.
The most recent take-over robbery occurred at approximately 5 p.m. on June 12 at the T-Town store on the 1300 block of S. Main Street, according to Lieutenant Paul Vernon, who is in charge of detectives in LAPD’s Central Area, which includes most of Downtown
Vernon said the three men entered the store together and looked around the place. One of the suspects then left for a moment before returning and closing the door to the store. One of the suspects then brandished a handgun, while another grabbed a woman, who collapsed in fear. The robbers used duct tape to bind three victims, looked for money, and then fled the scene, Vernon said.
There were no serious injuries, according to investigators, who said they believe the robbers took several thousand dollars in cash and a case of shirts.
Vernon said that investigators have images of the suspects from a surveillance camera (see photo, or visit www.lapdonline.org on the Internet). Anyone with information on the case is urged to call LAPDs’ Central Area robbery detectives at (213) 972-1246; calls during nighttime or weekend hours can be made to (877) 529-3855.
“We think anyone who's familiar with any of these suspects will recognize them from the video,” Vernon said. “We only need one person to identify one suspect, even anonymously, and the detectives can do the rest.”
Witnesses described all three suspects as African/Americans, with two believed to be in their 30s and the third somewhere between 17 and 25. One of the suspects is believed to weigh approximately 300 pounds. All three of the suspects are believed to have driven away in a brown Honda Accord or Civic.
A similar robbery occurred on April 17 at a store on Los Angeles Street. LAPD investigators said they believe a group of Latino/American males were responsible for that robbery. They added that they do not believe the two robberies were related.
The recent take-over robberies bracketed a June 11 vehicle robbery that saw a bandit fire gunshots at his victims while fleeing the scene. No one was seriously hurt in the incident, which occurred at approximately 8 a.m. near 12th Street and Maple Avenue on June 11, according to LAPD. The bandits got away with an estimated $100,000 in cash, according to investigators.
Investigators said a gray or blue Honda Odyssey with three males inside pulled up next to driver’s door of a green Chevrolet Tahoe that was stopped at a red light. One of the men inside the Honda got out of his vehicle and approached the SUV with a gun in hand. The gunman opened the driver’s side door of the SUV, reached in and grabbed the bag holding the cash along with an estimated $100,000 in checks.
The suspects then sped away from the scene, and the victims tried to follow them. A gunman in the Honda fired at the SUV, causing the vehicle to crash, according to investigators.
The suspects were described as being between the ages 18 and 20, according to investigators.
