Monrovia police officer involved in crash while heading to detain robbery suspects

MONROVIA — A police officer was involved in a crash late Friday while speeding to assist other officers detain a group of men accused of attacking another man and robbing him of a skateboard earlier in the day, officials said.
Three robbery suspects were in custody and no serious injuries were reported following the series of events that began Friday afternoon and concluded Friday evening, Monrovia police Sgt. Nick Manfredi said. The patrol car involved in the crash sustained major damage, while the condition of the civilian vehicle was not available early Saturday.
A man reported being attacked and robbed of his skateboard about 3:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Linwood Avenue, just south of Foothill Boulevard, Manfredi said.
“Four subjects in a van pulled up to the victim and confronted him,” he said. “One of the suspects through a beer bottle at the beer bottle, striking him (in the leg). The others wrestled with him and forced his skateboard out of his hands.”
The victim, a Monrovia man in his early 20s, was not injured in the scuffle, Manfredi said. The four suspect fled in the van.
An officer was on patrol about 8:30 p.m. when he spotted a van matching the description of the one used in the robbery in the parking lot of the Duarte Walmart, 1600 Mountain Ave., Manfredi said.
An officer was heading to help with his emergency lights and siren activated when he became involved in a collision with a civilian vehicle at Huntington Drive and Magnolia Avenue, officials said. The officer was southbound on Magnolia, while the civilian vehicle was eastbound Huntington.
“The officer came to a red light at the intersection of Magnolia and Huntington. He stopped at the intersection.” Manfredi said. Surrounding cars stopped and yielded to the patrol car.
“As he proceeded through the intersection, a motorist had the radio on and the windows rolled up nd did not hear the siren,” the sergeant said. The two vehicles collided in the intersection, sending the patrol car careening into a tree.
The officer was treated for minor injuries, he said. The civilian driver, whose description was not available, was not believed to have been hurt.
Meanwhile, other officers detained three men at the van in the Walmart parking lot, police said. They were identified as suspects in the robbery, and they were found to be in possession of the victim’s skateboard.
The names of the robbery suspects were withheld Saturday as detectives continued seeking the fourth alleged robber, the sergeant said. All three were described as Monrovia men in their 20s.

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