Five robbery suspects, two adult males and three juvenile males, are in custody for what authorities in Orange County called a “beer run and pursuit” Tuesday afternoon.
Officers with the Seal Beach Police Department responded to reports of a “theft incident” at Bay Liquor, located at 1780 Pacific Coast Highway, just after 2 p.m.
Police learned that five male suspects ran off with two cases of beer and fled the area in a silver Honda Odyssey minivan.
After an immediate search of the area, authorities were unable to locate the suspects.
An hour later, at 3:15 p.m., officers responded to reports of an armed robbery near the intersection of 6th Street and Central Avenue, barely a mile from the liquor store.
“The two victims informed dispatch that five male suspects had robbed them at gunpoint, taking two wallets, two cell phones, a pair of earbuds, and one of the victim’s car keys,” a news release from Seal Beach PD stated. “The suspects then fled on foot.”
After officers spoke with the robbery victims, a possible suspect vehicle was spotted in the area of 1st Street and Pacific Coast Highway.
When police attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver and front passenger complied. The three suspects fled the vehicle, running northbound toward the San Gabriel River bike path.
With the assistance of the Huntington Beach Police Department’s helicopter and a K-9 unit from the Los Alamitos Police Department, all three were suspects eventually arrested.
The firearm allegedly used during the robbery was recovered by the K-9 in bushes along the bike path. The firearm, according to police, was reported stolen out of Riverside.
Inside the suspect vehicle, which was registered to one of the juvenile’s parents, officers recovered the two cases of stolen beer. They did not say if any of the items stolen from the two victims at gunpoint were recovered.
Those two victims, however, positively identified the suspects, authorities said.
The three juveniles, all from Compton, were not identified. The other two suspects, also from Compton, were identified as 20-year-old Jose Barragan and 18-year-old Jamie Saponguerra.
The suspects are facing preliminary charges of robbery, receiving stolen property, assault with a deadly weapon, minor in possession of a firearm, resisting arrest and conspiracy.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing and anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Seal Beach PD Sgt. Joe Garcia at 562-799-4100 ext. 1649 or by email at jfgarcia@sealbeachca.gov.