Man, Woman and Two Boys Charged with Two Armed Robberies

A man, a woman and two boys were charged Friday in connection with two armed robberies in Long Beach.

Officers responded just after midnight Monday to the Alamitos Beach parking lot in the 700 block of East Shoreline Drive to investigate a report that a man in his 30s was robbed at gunpoint, according to Long Beach police.

The victim said he was confronted by four males and one female who attacked him and stole two cellphones from him before fleeing in a blue minivan, police said.

About 10:56 p.m. the same day, three woman in their 30s reported that a male and female robbed them at gunpoint in the 200 block of Argonne Avenue, according to police.

The victims said they were walking when the suspects approached from behind, demanded their belongings and then fled in a blue minivan that was parked nearby, police said.

Based on descriptions of the suspects and the minivan, detectives were led to an apartment complex in the 2300 block of East 14th Street, where four of five of the robbery suspects were found to be living.

All five suspects were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday, police said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed charges today against four of them, according to Long Beach police.

Ronald Oliver Romero and Selia Yanet Contreras, both 25, were each charged with four counts of robbery and one count of assault with a deadly weapon, according to Long Beach police.

Contreras was also charged with one count of receiving stolen property, police said.

A 17-year-old boy was charged with one count of robbery and one count of attempted robbery and a 15-year-old boy was charged with four counts of robbery, police said.

“The investigation remains ongoing in regards to (a) third (boy) that was arrested,” according to a police statement.

Both Romero and Contreras were jailed with bail set at $50,000, according to sheriff’s online jail records.

Contreras was released from custody on Thursday after posting bail, but Romero remains jailed at the Inmate Reception Center in downtown Los Angeles, according to the sheriff’s department.

--City News Service

PHOTO Patch photo credit: Renee Schiavone.