Milana Jewelry Store in Bixby Knolls was robbed by tow armed men last week. Less than 10 hours later, the Long Beach Police Department arrested the men suspected of committing the crime.
BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
Early Wednesday morning, January 28, officers of the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) arrested three suspects who were charged with robbing Milana Jewelry Store in the Bixby Knolls area the afternoon before. A fourth suspect was briefly detained and released, and one of the three arrested was released from jail when the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute him.
According to LBPD spokesperson Sergeant Dina Zapalski, at about 3:30pm on Tuesday of last week, two young men armed with handguns ran into the jewelry store and ordered customers and employees to lie on the floor. The robbers then stole jewelry and cash from the store as well as the personal belongings of one of the customers. Then they ran to a getaway car parked on the 4100 block of Atlantic Avenue. No one was injured in the robbery.
“A surveillance camera at a nearby business got photographs of the vehicle, and our police officers initiated a search very shortly after the robbery took place,” Zapalski said. About three hours later, patrol officers spotted the car parked near the corner of 56th Street and Paramount Boulevard, and police set up a surveillance of the vehicle. At about 1am, officers noticed four men leaving a house in the vicinity and getting into the car. A few minutes later, the police stopped the car and teams of officers surrounded the suspects, who offered no resistance. After questioning the four men, police arrested Bellflower residents Lavonte Montgomery, 19, and James McLin, 18, as well as Signal Hill resident Larenzo Clark, 18.
Although Clark was booked on the same charges as the other two, for reasons not made public, county prosecutors decided not to prosecute him and he was released from jail at about 2pm Friday.
Montgomery and Mclin were arraigned in Superior Court in Long Beach, Judge Arthur Jean presiding. Montgomery’s bail was set at about $300,000 and Mclin’s was set at about $200,000. Both men have previous arrest records. Jean ordered the teenagers to return to court to face their felony charges in March.
“Kudos to the Long Beach Police Department for arresting the suspects so quickly,” said Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association. “This is fabulous. I am ecstatic that the police responded so quickly and made the arrests less than 10 hours after the robbery.”
Cohn said that he and Bixby Knolls business owners breathed a sigh of relief when news of the arrests spread. “Hopefully this sends a message,” he said. “If you are contemplating robbery, stay away from Bixby Knolls.”
Cohn stressed that in his observation, Bixby Knolls is a secure place to shop and own a business. “This is a safe area. The BKBIA security and code enforcement committee meets with the LBPD every month to discuss crime issues,” he said. “There are minor incidents like petty theft and things like that, but this kind of thing (armed robbery) is very rare,” he said.
At various community meetings throughout the city during the last 12 months or so, LBPD officials have warned residents and business owners that the national economic slump is tempting people with criminal tendencies to commit thefts and robberies. Cohn said he’s aware of that trend. “But thank God the LBPD is just staying on top of things,” he said.
Cohn noted that, up until a few years ago, there were business watch groups in Bixby Knolls that encouraged business owners to take crime prevention measures, to be on the lookout for suspicious activity and to report even the appearance of a crime to the police. “We are talking about bringing business watch back to Bixby Knolls,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a hot topic at our next security and code enforcement committee meeting.”
LBPD North Division Commander Billy Quach commented briefly on the jewelry store robbery when he spoke at last week’s town hall meeting, organized by 8th District City Councilwoman Rae Gabelich and her staff. “The arrests were just good police work,” he said. “Our officers just drove up and down the streets until they found the car, waited for the suspects and moved very quickly to arrest them.”
Quach noted that, in spite of the dramatic takeover robbery of the jewelry store, overall crime has decreased in the north division area in the past year. “We do need your help with auto burglaries and grand theft auto,” he said. “Please always keep your cars locked, and if you have to leave valuables in your car, make sure you put them in the trunk.”
(Milana Jewelry management declined to comment for this story.)
