One of two alleged armed thieves, who confronted a young man in Long Beach and robbed him early Thursday, was captured while the other got away, police said.
Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt provided updated details of the crime, which she said corrected some earlier stories about the episode.
Police were called to the scene of a reported armed robbery of property about 2:45 a.m. Thursday in the 500 block of Chestnut Avenue, near West 5th, Pratt said. She said a young man who was not identified was confronted by the pair, and an arriving officer chased them but the suspects split up.
The suspects "were described as two male Hispanics in their 20s with one of them being armed," Pratt wrote in an e-mail.
Over a loudspeaker, officers called out for the suspects to surrender but after they did not, the department's SWAT was brought in for further searching, Pratt said. She offered the remainder of the updated information was follows:
- with the assistance of LAPD's helicopter, a possible suspect was observed near a residential complex in the 400 block of W. 7th Street
- SWAT members were able to establish communication with the suspect who surrendered and was taken into custody
- a handgun was also recovered
- suspect is only being identified as a 19-year-old male at this time due to ongoing investigation (city of residence still in the process of being confirmed)
- he was booked for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, felon with a gun, and for (2) outstanding warrants, and is being held without bail
- the second suspect remains outstanding
- during the incident, a Reverse 9-1-1 call was conducted to alert residents in the area of the situation and to advise them to stay inside their residences
- no one was injured during the incident
- anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the LBPD's Robbery Detail at (562) 570-7464
- Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org
