Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Major Crimes Bureau Detectives worked closely with Century Station Detectives after learning of a serial robbery crew committing crimes throughout Los Angeles County.

During the investigation it was determined the crew focused on committing strong-arm robberies of 7-11 convenience stores, stealing California Lottery Scratchers. Over the course of two months the crew committed 44 robberies resulting in a loss of over $250,000, with over $90,000 collected from stolen scratchers.

Major Crimes Bureau detectives from the Burglary Robbery Task Force and Organized Retail Theft Task force conducted a robbery investigation.  During the investigation, detectives observed the crew commit a robbery of a 7-11 store, where the suspects jumped the counter and forcibly stole over $3,000 worth of California Lottery Scratchers. All four suspects (3 adults & 1 juvenile) were arrested, and all stolen merchandise (lottery scratchers) was recovered.

The adults were transported to Century Regional Detention Facility where they were booked on robbery charges. They are being held on $100,000 bail and were arraigned on April 15 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. The juvenile was transported to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall where he was booked on robbery charges and held. His next court date with the Probation Department at Compton Courthouse is pending.

The Burglary-Robbery Task Force is an active partner with the Los Angeles Police Department and participating agencies throughout Los Angeles County collaborating in the recently formed Organized Retail Theft Taskforce. The planning, execution, and intelligence gathered from operations like these are shared and expanded upon throughout the law enforcement community in our region to better combat the plague of retail theft affecting the community.

The LASD MCB BRTF was formed over fourteen years ago to combat the ever-increasing trend of organized crews who are committing residential burglaries along with violent robbery crime trends.The MCB BRTF works closely in support of all LASD station’s detective bureaus, as well as other Southern California law enforcement agencies. Residents and business owners are reminded to secure their properties, be aware of suspicious and unusual persons or vehicles, and to alert their local law enforcement immediately if suspicious activity is observed.

Residents should call 911 if a life-threatening emergency is detected and/or their local police business line if a suspicious person or vehicle is observed.The MCB BRTF can be contacted via e-mail at BRTF@LASD.org for tips, questions, or concerns.The Organized Retail Theft Task Force can be contacted at ORCTF@LASD.ORG, or (562) 946-7270.