A Downey man has received felony charges in connection with multiple robberies involving local street vendors, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
Most of the incidents occurred in the 6900 block of Paramount Boulevard, between Sept. 11, 2016 and Feb. 2, 2017, during the hours of 1pm and 3:30pm. A male suspect armed with a handgun approached fruit vendors, demanded money and fled before officers arrived. None of the victims were injured during the incidents.
Through the concerted efforts of patrol officers of the North Division Violent Crime Impact Team and robbery detectives, police were able to identify a suspect. On Feb,14, detectives arrested 26-year-old Miguel Rodriguez of Downey for his involvement in the street robberies.
On Feb. 16, detectives presented the case for filing consideration to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which filed three felony counts of robbery against Rodriguez. He is currently being held in Long Beach City Jail with bail set at $110,000.
The investigation remains ongoing. Detectives urge any fruit vendor who was a victim of a robbery but has yet to report it to call Robbery Detective Parkhill at (562) 570-5535. 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.
Source: LBPD
