(코리아타운뉴스) Armed Thieves Targeting Pedestrians

Three Hispanic serial robbers in Audi Q5 SUV

A three-man team of thieves armed with pistols is serially committing criminal acts against pedestrians around Los Angeles Koreatown.

The L.A. Police Department (LAPD) said it has been tracking three Hispanic men, presumably in their 20s or 30s, who have committed three separate occasions of robbery in Koreatown between Sunday and Thursday of last week. The suspects were reportedly armed with pistols.

“Residents are encouraged to be careful as pedestrians in L.A. Koreatown are being targeted by three armed Hispanic men are driving around the neighborhood,” said an LAPD official. “The suspects are using the credit cards they’ve stolen at gas stations.”

The suspects first put a South American victim under gunpoint on Aug. 13 at 1:35 a.m. on the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Manhattan Place before fleeing with his valuables.

Additionally, they used the same method on an 18-year-old Korean man an hour later at around 2:30 a.m. on the intersection of St. Andrews Place and Ninth Street to steal his wallet and smartphone. On Aug. 17 around 1:45 a.m., they committed the same crime on another South American man on Manhattan Place and Country Club Drive.

The LAPD’s investigations have indicated that the suspects are committing a series of robberies in a stolen vehicle.

“The suspects have been driving a metallic grey Audi Q5 SUV,” said an LAPD official. “The car has a paper license plate from Keyes Audi. It is believed that the car has been stolen.”

To prevent similar crimes in the future, the LAPD is advising Koreatown residents to ▶avoid walking on empty streets at night ▶be cautious about getting too close to cars on the road ▶not respond aggressively when approached by an armed robber.

A footage from surveillance camera at gas station Mobil on Olympic Boulevard and Fifth Street have already been secured by the LAPD. An investigation is still ongoing.

The LAPD has revealed that at least one or two cases of robbery occur on average in Koreatown. About 15 percent of its victims are Korean-Americans.


By Woosoo Lee