Results tagged “robbery” from Crime & Courts

A Los Angeles man is being sought as the suspect in a robbery at a Ralphs supermarket in Hermosa Beach.

Brandon Lincoln Woodard, 28, is suspected of shoplifting several bottles of wine from the market at Aviation Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway on Sept. 30, then leading a chase into Redondo Beach, police said.

Police said a loss prevention officer tried to stop Woodard, who struggled with him, turning the crime into a robbery.

Woodard escaped in a car, sideswiping another vehicle.

He then struck a Redondo Beach city electrician's truck in the 2200 block of Speyer Lane,police said.

He abandoned the car in the 2100 block of 182nd Street, asked a business owner to borrow some boxes, put the wine inside, hailed a cab and escaped.

Anyone with information about Woodard's whereabouts is asked to call Detective Mick Gaglia at 310-318-0348.

I met with detectives at the Lennox sheriff's station this morning. Among the things we talked about was an update on a recent shooting that wounded a pizza deliveryman in Lawndale.

If you'll recall, the deliveryman was shot in the chin during a failed robbery in the 4100 block of 160th Street about 9 p.m. Oct. 13.

Sheriff's Detective John Silverstein has interviewed the victim since my last report and provided me a little more info on what happened.

The Domino's deliveryman had just dropped off a pizza when a robber wearing a white mask like those in the "Scream" movies confronted him. (Initially, detectives were told it was silver.)
The robber spoke in broken Spanish.

The victim, realizing he was being robbed, went to his vehicle to get money. When he saw the gun pointed at him, he feared for his life and swung his arm up, knocking the robber's arm. The gun fired. A bullet hit the victim in the chin. He is recovering.

Here's a little more on Tony Ray Woods, the guy charged with robbery and sexual assault in Gardena.

I just got the complaint which shows he has three prior violent felonies on his record:

He was convicted of robberies on Aug. 5, 1983, Dec. 16, 1983, and July 17, 1987.

He also was convicted of possession of a controlled substance on Sept. 15, 2004.

I'm still waiting for the state to send me his prison record. It may not come today.

Previous blog entry on Woods.

Here's the District Attorney's Office's complaint against Woods:

Rev. 900-1/99 DA Case 29169974 Page 1 Case No. YA075470

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, Plaintiff, v. 01 TONY RAY WOODS (08/08/1965) Defendant(s).

CASE NO. YA075470 FELONY COMPLAINT

The undersigned is informed and believes that:

COUNT 1

On or about January 13, 2008, in the County of Los Angeles, the crime of SECOND DEGREE ROBBERY, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 211, a Felony, was committed by TONY RAY WOODS, who did unlawfully, and by means of force and fear attempt to take personal property from the person, possession, and immediate presence of BASKIN ROBBINS.
"NOTICE: The above offense is a violent felony within the meaning of Penal Code 667.5(c)."
"NOTICE: The above offense is a serious felony within the meaning of Penal Code section 1192.7(c)."

A man who allegedly robbed at least two people in Hawthorne on Wednesday was quickly arrested, police said.

Edward Wilson, 20, of Hawthorne was arrested shortly after 8 a.m. behind an apartment building in the 11900 block of Gale Avenue, Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said.

Police said a man reported that he was robbed of jewelry while at Eucalyptus Park, 12000 Inglewood Ave.

The victim chased the robber to Gale Avenue. When police caught Wilson, he had the victim's property.

Police are looking into whether Wilson committed another robbery in the area, and possibly more.

He was not armed.

A robber smashed his gun into a woman's head and took her purse during a street crime in Torrance, authorities said Monday.

The robbery occurred about 7:35 p.m. Friday as the woman walked in the 600 block of Calle Miramar in the Hollywood Riviera section, Torrance police Sgt. Bernard Anderson said.

The woman told police she was walking along the street when a car pulled up. A man got out, put a gun to her head and demanded her bag.

He smashed the gun into it, causing a bump and a cut on her forehead.
The man took her bag and drove off.

Robbery suspect arrested after early morning street robbery in Hermosa Beach.

Clement Theodore Smith, a 51-year-old from Hawthorne, was arrested by officers at 1:15 a.m. this morning at Aviation and Artesia Boulevard. Smith is on parole for robbery and other serious crimes and had an ankle bracelet on to monitor his location. 

Just after 1 a.m., the victim, a 74-year-old Hermosa resident arrived home in the 2000 block of Hermosa Avenue and he noticed a newer model 4-door Japanese model vehicle stop nearby. He saw the driver get out and appear to walk down the sidewalk. The driver instead ran up to him and knocked him to the ground. The suspect threatened the victim and took his wallet before driving away. 

The victim called the police and a description was broadcast. Officer Eccles from Manhattan Beach Police was at Prospect and Artesia when the call came out and saw the suspect driving east on Artesia. Officers made a stop of the vehicle at Aviation and Artesia. Currency taken from the victim was recovered in the vehicle. 

Here's the LAPD's press release on the Harbor Gateway robbery from Sunday night.


Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department detectives are investigating an armed take-over robbery during which a security guard was tied up.

On Sunday, February 15, 2009 at around 8:00 p.m., Harbor Area Officers were called to a warehouse operated by a logistics company located in the 1500 block of Francisco Street in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles. Officers arrived to discover the immobilized security guard and that a robbery had occurred.

A preliminary investigation revealed that several suspects forced entry onto the logistics company property by cutting through a secure rear gate. Simultaneously, suspects drove to the entrance of the property in three semi-trailer trucks. When the guard attempted to stop and detain the drivers for identification, armed men approached the guard and subdued him. The guard was then tied up and left on the ground inside the location.

Two men grabbed a man on a Manhattan Beach street, kicked him and robbed him of his cellular telephone, police said Thursday.

The crime occurred Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. at 9th Street and Highland Avenue, police said.
The robbers fled in a gray vehicle. The victim suffered bruises.

One robber was described as Latino, 18 to 21 years old, 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and blue jeans and had a slight accent.

The second robber was Latino, 18 to 20 years old, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall. He wore a white hooded sweat shirt, blue jeans and brown boots.

The suspect vehicle is described as a newer Toyota 4-door sedan.

Here's a few things from Redondo's crime report from last week.

Jan. 5
Police received four calls about car break-ins at the Performing Arts Center in the 1900 Block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard between 9:20 and 10:20 p.m.

Jan. 6
Police found an elderly man dead in a home in 1600 Block of Steinhart Avenue after a neighbor called with concern about him at  7 p.m. Officers determined he committed suicide.

Jan. 8
A man got out of a car in the 1800 block of Hawthorne Boulevard and approached a man walking on the street at 2:45 a.m. He demanded his wallet. When the victim said he didn't have a wallet, the robber hit him in the leg with a baseball bat. The robber jumped back into the car, which had two other occupants.

I've said before in this space that those razor blades are expensive.

So an ex-gang member this morning was trying to filling up his backpack with $480 worth of them and other items at a Long's drugstore in Redondo Beach.

Store workers confronted him, so he dumped the bag and took off -- in his electric wheelchair. Yes, he was in a wheelchair.

Police were working a traffic accident nearby at Palos Verdes Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway and were able to catch up to him pretty easily. He was moving at about 2 mph.

Now he's heading back to jail.

A man dressed in "motorcycle leathers" and a helmet pointed two guns at tellers today and robbed a Rancho Palos Verdes bank, deputies said.

The robbery at the Union Bank branch at 20 Miraleste Plaza occurred about 10 a.m., Lomita sheriff's Lt. Greg Ahn said.

The man, wearing a complete motorcycle riding outfit,  held a gun in each hand, but fired no shots.

No one was hurt.

He was last seen riding away on a motorcycle south on Palos Verdes Drive East.
Lomita sheriff's detectives and FBI agents are investigating.

The amount of money taken was not disclosed.

Here's a good one from the LAPD. We'll call it "Dopey Criminal No. 1."

Just before 10 p.m. on Sunday, two men held up the 52 Market in the 12000 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in West LA. No one saw their getaway car. So, whoosh, they got away.

About 15 minutes later, some guys held up Tochma Market at 74th and Main streets in Los Angeles.

In that one, they were seen leaving in a red vehicle. I guess the cops figured out who the car belonged to and the fact he was on parole with orders to wear a global positioning device to monitor his whereabouts.

It didn't take long for officers to follow the electronic signal to a motel in the 11700 block of Aviation Boulevard near LAX. Yeah, they found the dude.

Police took Chelminski Walker, 29, of Inglewood to jail, found the handgun and recovered his red Chevrolet Monte Carlo. (Chelminski?)

And, they linked him to the earlier holdup.

He's held on robbery without bail.

Police are searching for two men who robbed a husband and wife at knifepoint and gunpoint as they walked along a Manhattan Beach street last night.

The crime occurred about 8:30 p.m. in the 400 block of John Place, Manhattan Beach police Lt. Tony DiGenova said.

The men drove up in a sport utility vehicle, got out and confronted the couple. One held a knife and the other carried a handgun.

They made off with the couple's property, including jewelry.

No one was hurt.

Press release from Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii:

On December 6th at approximately 4am, Hawthorne Police Officers responded to a Burglary alarm call in the 5400 block of W. Rosecrans Ave.  Several suspects (who were armed with handguns) entered the business, overpowered and physically beat the security guard, and proceeded to load several large pallets containing consumer electronics into an awaiting bobtail truck.

Officers arrived at the location and saw a large (30ft+) bobtail truck leaving the parking lot of the business.  The suspects evaded police in a pursuit which eventually ended at the intersection of Inglewood Ave and Manhattan Beach Ave, Lawndale.  Two suspects (both males in their 20's) were arrested at the scene.

The 64 yr old Security guard was treated at a local hospital for his injuries.  He is expected to make a full recovery.

Later on December 6th and December 7th, Hawthorne Police Detectives and SWAT served several Search Warrants in Inglewood, Los Angeles, and Torrance.  Two additional suspects (both males, in their 20's) were arrested

Detectives are continuing their investigation to see if the suspects are responsible for additional crimes.

My Friday morning began with a question from a reader on yesterday's search of an armed robbery suspect in Lomita:

"You call this News? No description. Not sure if anything was stolen. Glad to see that you knew he was an adult.
Why not wait till you get some facts before you waste my bandwidth with something like this?"

I guess I'll tackle these questions one at a time. Yes, I call this news. We had several inquiries from the community about the helicopters circling overhead and concerns about a "wierd" thing in "such a small town and it is happening even here these days," as one resident wrote in an e-mail to me.

As for what I knew (or what I didn't know), what you need to understand is that reporters are only the messengers. We don't make the news, nor are we involved in how it plays out. If you have a problem with how much information was (or was not) released, then that is an issue to take up with the Lomita Sheriff's Department. We fight this fight daily, and you're welcome to lead a battle.

I had all the facts that were available. Believe me, I wish that in every breaking news situation, we had all the information RIGHT NOW accurately and completely. Unfortunately, the real world doesn't work like that, but we're working hard to keep our readers as up-to-date on their community as possible. I apologize if that seems like a waste of anything to anybody.

Thank you to this reader for his questions, they are absolutely understandable and legitimate. And thank you for not writing in all capital letters or calling me names in the process. I know it's tempting, but it's nice when we can all get along.

 

 

 

Here's this just in from the Hawthorne Police Department:

On 10/01/08 at approximately 2am, the Starbucks at 5030 Rosecrans Avenue, Hawthorne was robbed by a male suspect using a handgun.

Employees just closed the store and were walking out when a suspect appeared from behind the bushes (on the side of the store). The suspect pointed a gun at the employees and ordered them back in the store.

Once back in the store, the employees were ordered to open the safe. The suspect took approximately two thousand dollars in cash and was last seen running out of the store. The employees were not physically injured.

Detectives are still in the process of gathering and reviewing evidence obtained from the store.

The suspect was described as a male Black adult in his late 20's, approximately 6'2 tall, and weighing about 200 lbs. He was wearing a dark jacket and jeans.

Redondo Beach police tell us what they've been up to:


Monday 09/15
12:00 hrs - Torrance Police requested assistance from adjacent agencies for containment of a stolen vehicle suspect that had just fled from them on foot. One of the RBPD units that responded was a K-9 unit and the K-9, Dak, was eventually utilized for a building safety search. Dak discovered the suspect hiding under a desk, seized and held him for officers. Suspect was booked by Torrance Police on suspicion of vehicle theft and related charges.

19:06 hrs - A twenty-eight year old female committed suicide by hanging herself over the edge of a railing at her home on Avenue "A." She was discovered by her mother, who called 911. Paramedics attempted to revive her with negative results. She was transported to Little Company of Mary where she was pronounced deceased.

Wednesday 09/17
00:42 hrs - A vehicle that was described by witnesses as being involved in a purse-snatch robbery at the Galleria last week was observed by Sheriff Deputies in the City of Lennox. Deputies detained the juvenile occupants of the vehicle and notified RBPD. We took custody of the juveniles and impounded the vehicle. One of the juveniles, a female, admitted to involvement in the Galleria robbery to the interviewing officer. She was detained and transported to a juvenile detention facility. This juvenile was also wanted for a previous robbery by another jurisdiction. The investigation continues.

Thursday 09/18
23:42 hrs - Officers were dispatched to a fight involving 2-3 subjects fighting inside of Old Tony's. Officers arrived in the area and contacted one of the subjects as he was leaving the pier on foot south bound on the bike path. As officers were talking to the detained subject, the suspect's brother approached in an aggressive manner. He was ordered several times to stay back. The subject refused to back away and instead pushed against one of the officers.

Officers attempted to take him into custody and he became combative. He was ultimately Tased so that he could be controlled. A third subject approached officers, this time a female, the girlfriend of the first subject detained. She began yelling at officers and interfering. She was ordered several times to back away, but refused.

The female then threw her shoes at one of the officers and kicked towards her. This subject was then Tased and eventually taken into custody. The arrested female continued to be uncooperative even while in RBPD jail and had to be restrained. She was secured in a sobering cell for her safety. When it was later discovered that she was bleeding from abrasions on her arm and hands, paramedics were requested. Paramedics examined her and determined that medical attention was not required. Felony vandalism charges were later added to her booking when it was discovered that she had torn away a large area of padding from the interior of her cell.