Three suspects armed with handguns and a rifle ambushed a man walking in West Hollywood in a frightening robbery that was captured on surveillance video.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help to identify the suspects seen shoving handguns and a rifle into the victim’s body.
The robbery occurred July 19 at 12:38 a.m. in the 800 block of Larrabee Street.
The video shows the victim walking along the street when the three armed men jump out of an SUV that was stopped in front of him.
The suspects grab and push the victim back, shoving him into a fence while pointing their weapons at him. The video shows one of the man going into the man’s pockets while the other two hold him by his shirt and point a rifle at his chest.
In the scuffle, the man is pushed to the ground while the suspects keep going through his pockets.
The suspects took the man’s cellphone and wallet before fleeing, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff‘s officials on Thursday said they were still looking for leads to identify the three men.
The incident comes after another brazen armed robbery near a popular restaurant in West Hollywood.
On April 25, three men armed with at least two assault-style rifles robbed several people in the alley behind the La Boheme restaurant in the 8400 block of Santa Montica Boulevard. Sheriff‘s officials said the suspects made off with a small amount of cash.
Despite these incidents, reports show that crime in West Hollywood has remained relatively level compared to 2022.
According to the Sheriff s Department, which patrols West Hollywood and nearby unincorporated areas, the city saw 55 robberies in the first six months of this year, the same as during the same time period last year.
Violent crime during the first six months of the year rose less than a 1% compared to 2022, while property crimes dropped 20%.
Anyone with information about the July 19 robbery is asked to contact Sheriff’s Det. Candice Gonzalez at (310) 358-4011, or c2mgonza@lasd.org.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
