Two men have been charged with robbery for allegedly holding up Long Beach stores at gunpoint and stealing cash and California Lottery scratcher tickets, police announced Thursday.
The suspects have already been charged with the crimes and are being held at the Los Angeles County Jail with bail set at $50,000 each. Police said Thursday they suspect the same pair may have allegedly robbed other local merchants.
One man is 23 and from Long Beach, and the other, 36, is from Signal Hill, and they were arrested and charged by the L.A. District Attorney, but neither was named in the Long Beach Police Department news release.
http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/press/display.asp?layout=4&Entry=4279
Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt explained why the names were not released.
"Since detectives believe other victims may exist and are hoping they will come forward, releasing suspect identities at this time could interfere with those potential victims identifying the suspects without compromise."
LBPD's release further stated the following:
"The first robbery occurred on May 28, 2013, at approximately 8:45 p.m. at a convenience store in the 4500 block of Orange Avenue. It was reported that two male Black suspects entered the business, one of them wearing a large afro-style wig and armed with a handgun. The suspects demanded money and California Lottery scratchers, and then fled the location on foot.
"The second robbery occurred to another convenience store in the 1000 block of Redondo Avenue on June 21, 2013, at approximately 2:45 a.m. Two male black suspects, one of them again wearing a large afro-style wig and with a simulated gun, were reported to have entered the business demanding money and California Lottery scratchers, before fleeing on foot.
"Later that same day (June 21st), the Long Beach Police Robbery Detail, working in cooperation with the California State Lottery Commission, learned the stolen lottery tickets were being redeemed at various Long Beach businesses. Long Beach patrol officers responded to one of those locations and apprehended two suspects who were in possession of stolen Lottery tickets."
Read the rest of the news release here: http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/press/display.asp?layout=4&Entry=4279
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