A recent string of robberies in Arcadia may have been committed by two serial robbers. The latest crime was reported at the 500 block of Las Tunas Drive. The suspects are two Latino men driving a green or blue, newer-model, 4-door sedan, in their mid-20s.
Four men were arrested while committing a burglary in the 1100 block of South Santa Anita. An employee at the Arcadia Public Library spotted the suspects and called the police.
Two bank robberies in the past three weeks are believed to have been committed by the same suspect. In both cases, the robber wore a blonde wig under a dark baseball cap, carried a manila envelope and said, "Hurry up" to tellers. He displays a handgun under his shift and is a white man in his 30s or 40s, of average height and weight.
An armed robbery Wednesday led to an all-night standoff with the police when the two suspects fled to an Arcadia home and held resident Pat Plumley hostage.
Two area businesses were robbed at gunpoint within an hour Tuesday night by men in black ski masks. The first incident happened at a Chevron gas station in Arcadia at 500 N. Santa Anita Avenue. The second happened in Altadena.
Arcadia police pursued and arrested armed suspects after they robbed a Wells Fargo Bank at 211 East Foothill Boulevard. The suspects were Wilfredo Ramirez, Aaron Allen, Melonie Young, and Robert Burnham.
Ryan Michaelson, 20, of Temple City, and Andrew Hernandez, 32, of Rosemead were arrested by Arcadia police on Friday. Michaelson was booked on suspicion of transporting an explosive device. Hernandez allegedly pulled the pin on a hand grenade and held police at bay for 5 hours. A hostage negotiation team convinced him to surrender.
Arcadia considers joining Monrovia in reviving the Blue Star Program, in which families of men and women in the armed forces can display a symbol of that fact on their home. The matter will be put on a city council agenda in the future.
An Arcadia family was terrorized and victimized at gunpoint in a home invasion robbery. The robbers choked the father of the family until he gave them cash and threatened to return to kill the family if they called police. The robbery occurred in the 100 block of West Forest Avenue. It is not known if this crime is related to the robbery of an elderly couple in Arcadia last week.
Arcadia city council will vote on an ordinance prohibiting loitering by members of street gangs. The ordinance defines a "criminal street gang" as three or more people with a primary activity to commit offenses, such as murder, assault, robbery, or drug-related crimes. There are eight active Asian gangs within the city.
Four suspects involved in an Arcadia bank robbery had their original bail amounts increased from $35,000 to $280,000 and upwards of $300,000. The suspects were Wilfredo Ramirez, Aaron Allen, Melonie Young, and Robert Burnham.
Police from across Southern California, including Arcadia, are joining Monrovia Police and sheriffs in a task force to try to obliterate street gangs that are committing crimes. This joint task force comes after four people were killed recently in Monrovia. Police suspect Black and Latino gangs of the murders.
Authorities have released Joshua Connole of Pomona, a suspect in the August 22 vehicle vandalisms labeled by FBI as acts of ecoterrorism. More than $2 million in damage was caused by vandals claiming affiliation with the Earth Liberation Front. High-end sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and other vehicles at the Rusnak Mercedes Benz dealership in Arcadia, Advantage Ford in Monrovia, Clippinger Chevrolet in West Covina, and Duarte Mitsubishi were torched and spray painted.