PASADENA >> An Altadena man arrested following a police chase Wednesday is suspect of two robberies at Pasadena wireless stores this week, authorities said.
Police arrested Prince Bridges, 29, following a chase from Pasadena to Sherman Oaks following his latest alleged robbery, reported about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday at Go Wireless in the 3800 block of East Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena police Sgt. Mike Bugh said. More than 70 iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones stolen from the store were recovered, along with the suspect’s handgun, Bugh said.
Bridges is also suspected of a similar heist Friday afternoon at a T-Mobile store in the 100 block of South Lake Avenue, Bugh said.
In Wednesday’s robbery, the suspect first inquired about a job before pulling a gun on the lone employee.
“He displayed a handgun and directed salesperson to the rear of the store, where he ordered the salesperson to open the safe,” Lt. John Luna said. The robber stuffed more than 70 cell phones into a trash bag and fled.
Police spotted a car matching the description just after the robber and tried to pull it over, but the driver led officers on a chase along the 134 and 405 freeways, Luna said. The car exited the freeway in Sherman Oaks and crashed into another car, resulting in no injuries, before the suspect continued fleeing on foot.
Los Angeles police and California Highway Patrol officers helped Pasadena police capture the suspect nearby, Bugh said. Police found a the stolen cell phones and a loaded handgun in the suspect’s car.
In Friday’s robbery along Lake Avenue, Bugh said Bridges ordered four employees and a customer of the store into a rear room before fleeing with more than a dozen cell phones. No injuries were reported in either robbery.
Bridges was being held in lieu of $2 million bail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Friday in Pasadena Superior Court, records show.