MONTEBELLO — A petty theft of some beer turned into a robbery Tuesday when the suspect wrestled a phone away from a convenience store clerk as she dialed 9-1-1, police said.

Jesus Naranjo, 25, of Montebello was arrested following the 3:25 p.m. incident at 7-Eleven, 1106 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello police Lt. Andy Vuncanon said.

He and another man entered the store and both grabbed a three-pack of 24-ounce of beer, the lieutenant said.

One of the men paid for his beer, while the other concealed his and walked out of the store without paying, Vuncanon said.

The store clerk, with a cordless phone in hand, confronted the suspect outside the store and demanded he return the beer, police said. The man refused and began walking toward a nearby car.

“The cashier began to call 9-1-1 and the subject walked back toward the cashier and returned the beer,” Vuncanon said. “He asked the cashier not to call the police.

“The cashier ignored his request and continued to dial 9-1-1, and that’s when the suspect grabbed the cashier’s arm, twisted it and took the phone,” he said.

He then got into a car with the second man, which sped away.

Police obtained a description of the men and their car and pulled it over nearby, the lieutenant said.

The men were identified as the same men from the store, and  Naranjo was arrested, he said.

The second man, who paid for his beer, was detained for questioning but ultimately released without charge.

Naranjo was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Montebello Police Department’s jail pending arraignment Thursday in East Los Angeles Superior Court.