Police Blotter: Petco and Gassers Lounge Robberies

7-11 holdup: On June 21, a suspect walked into the 7-11 convenience store at 2601 Artesia Blvd. after midnight and approached a clerk. The suspect put an object against the clerk's back and demanded money from the register. The clerk complied with the demand, and the suspect fled the store with the money. Officers responded but they were unable to locate the suspect.

Parole violations: A Redondo Beach patrol officer observed a vehicle that failed to stop for a red light and conducted a traffic stop on Inglewood Avenue and 165^th Street around 10:30 p.m. June 21. The officer saw a handle of a firearm underneath the front seat as he contacted the driver. The officer requested assistance, removed the driver from the vehicle and recovered a loaded .38 caliber handgun and additional ammunition. A check of the weapon's serial number disclosed that the weapon had been reported stolen. During a search of the suspect, the officer found numerous bags of suspected methamphetamine. The suspect, who was on probation for the sale of narcotics, was arrested on suspicion of weapons and narcotics violations.

Boyfriend attacks: Officers responded to a disturbance call concerning a boyfriend, girlfriend and the boyfriend's father in the area of Perry Park on Grant Avenue around 4:30 p.m. June 24. Information provided to the officers included that the boyfriend was allegedly choking his girlfriend and assaulting his father. The boyfriend was confrontational with the officers and was subdued. He was taken into custody and charged with assault and resisting arrest.

Party shut down: Police responded to a party disturbance call around 10 p.m. June 24 in the 600 block of South Irene Avenue. Officers arrived at a large party and contacted the homeowner who said that he was going to shut the party down. The homeowner and his security guard asked the officers for assistance. The officers noticed one person acting suspiciously as the attendees were leaving. An investigation led officers to believe the person may have taken the drug ecstasy.  The person struggled with officers and was arrested on suspicion of delaying officers in the performance of their duties and possessing narcotics. 

Resisting arrest: Officers were dispatched to a group fight in the 1300 block of South Irene Avenue around midnight June 26. The officers arrived and attempted to detain a man who was possibly involved. He ignored the officers' direction and ran. The officers chased him and located him about a block away. He tried to run away again but was caught by the officers. He admitted disobeying the officers' commands and said he attempted to evade an apprehension because he was in possession of a stolen GPS device. He was arrested on suspicion of delaying officers in the performance of their duties and possessing stolen property.

Freeway vandalism: Officers were dispatched to an in-progress vandalism call on Inglewood Avenue near the 405 freeway ramp around 7 p.m. June 26. The caller reported that five males were spray-painting a wall. The officers detained one person after a short foot pursuit. The other four males continued to run along the freeway embankment, crossing Marine Avenue into the city of Hawthorne. A Hawthorne P.D. helicopter was flying overhead and offered assistance. Within minutes the officers were directed to the exact location of the remaining subjects and took them into custody without further incident. One of the subjects still had a paint can in his possession. The officers checked the area and located several areas of graffiti and an additional spray paint can. The five subjects were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and delaying officers in the performance of their duties.

Petco theft: Officers were dispatched to a robbery call at Petco at 3901 Inglewood Ave. around 10 p.m. June 26. When the officers arrived, they learned from the manager that an unknown adult male suspect struck the manager with a gun and forced him, at gunpoint, to hand over money from a safe and the registers. The manager complied with the suspect's demand, and he then fled the area. The officers were unable to locate the man.

Busy night: While officers were responding to the robbery that just occurred at Petco on Inglewood Avenue, a second robbery call from Gassers Lounge at 1200 Aviation Blvd. was broadcast. Two Redondo Beach police sergeants had just passed Gassers on their way to Petco. The sergeants immediately made contact with the victims of the robbery, one of whom had her purse stolen. One of the sergeants observed a suspect running from the area, and neighbors began calling to report a person running in backyards. Officers detained a person who was positively identified by the victims, but they were unable to locate an additional person who may have participated in the robbery. One of the victims was assaulted, suffered injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.