Multiple felony charges were filed this week against three suspects for their involvement in multiple commercial robberies and one street robbery.
On Sept. 29, an “unsuspecting victim” placed an item on a local social media site in order to sell it, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). The victim met the suspects in the area of Lime Avenue and Broadway, where the victim was robbed at gunpoint. The victim was not seriously injured.
On Oct. 12 and 15, a male adult and two male juveniles robbed three commercial businesses in the 1000 block of Redondo Avenue, the 1700 block of East Broadway and the 800 block of East 4th Street. During the robberies, the armed suspects entered the premises, took glassware used to smoke tobacco products and demanded money from the employee. The victims were not injured during the three armed robberies, police said.
Through the course of the investigation, detectives were able to locate one of the vehicles used during the robberies.
On Dec. 13, detectives arrested 20-year-old Juan Akeem Ward in the 400 block of Lime Avenue. On Dec. 15, the two 16-year-olds were arrested for their involvement in the robberies. All three are residents of Long Beach.
On Dec. 15, 2016, detectives presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Four felony counts of robbery were filed against Juan Akeem Ward. He is being held in the Los Angeles County Jail with bail set at $200,000.
On Dec. 19, the Juvenile District Attorney’s Office filed a juvenile petition against both juveniles for three counts of robbery. They are currently housed in Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
Those with information regarding the investigation are asked to call Robbery Detective D. Collier or JJ Johnson at (562) 570-7464. Anonymous tips may be submitted through LA Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to a smart phone or visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.
