A man and woman suspected of armed jewelry robbery in Arcadia were arrested Thursday night in Chatsworth.
Arcadia Police received a report of a robbery in the 800 block of Arcadia Avenue around 10:15 a.m.
A truck intentionally backed out of a driveway and collided with another vehicle. The two suspects, believed to be masked gunmen, got out of the truck and approached another vehicle, which was occupied by two people. According to police, the two armed robbers punched the female passenger several times in the head and stole her wallet.
Los Angeles Police Department Sergeant Brian Lafferty said an investigation by Arcadia police led police to the area of Mason and Nordoff avenues in Chatsworth, where they found a person believed to be the gunman inside a vehicle.
Arcadia police began tracking the two men and requested the Los Angeles Police Department’s assistance in arresting them.
After a pursuit of approximately three miles, officers found the two men abandoning the vehicle in the 19000 block of Labrador Avenue and driving away.
Los Angeles Police Department officials closed down multiple streets near the intersection of Oakdale Street and Labrador Street for more than three hours as they searched for the two men.
LAPD set up a perimeter around the neighborhood around 6:45 p.m. and arrested the female robbery suspect about 30 minutes later.
Investigators used K9 personnel to conduct a ground search and a police helicopter to conduct an aerial search.
Just before 10 p.m., officers found the second alleged gunman hiding behind a nearby shed.
Neighbors in the area were surprised to see so much commotion in the normally quiet area.
“It’s definitely not common to witness a jewelry heist here in the Valley if you’re 30 miles away, so I’d say this is one in a million,” Jake Sanchez said.
Neighbors in the area also expressed frustration at not being able to return to their homes for several hours.
It’s unclear how investigators found the suspect vehicle in Chatsworth or if the suspect has any ties to the Chatsworth neighborhood.
