Police detectives are asking the public’s help in identifying three men whose images were caught on surveillance tape during an early morning robbery on August 1 of adult video store X-Spot at 1901 South Alameda St.
“The suspects appeared very organized in the way they operated,” said Detective Ken Scott of the Newton Street Detective Division. “We believe that anyone who knows these three suspects will recognize them from the footage.”
The robbery occurred at 1:05 a.m., beginning with the suspects robbing a man in the parking lot, then walking him into the store, where one of the suspects armed with a rifle held four victims at bay while his accomplices took money from the victims and the cash register.
The entire robbery lasted just over three minutes. No one was injured. Amazingly, according to an AVN.com source who saw the surveillance footage, one customer continued browsing the store throughout the robbery. The suspects got away with an estimated $700 in cash, which they took from three employees, one customer and the cash register. The suspects also took three video tapes and a cell phone.
All three suspects were described as Hispanic men, 5 foot 8 to 10 inches tall, between 18 and 25 years old. The first suspect, who can be seen walking in the door behind the victim from the parking lot, was wearing a black shirt and weighed 170 pounds. The second suspect, seen with the rifle, had a shaved head and was wearing a blue shirt. The third suspect was wearing an “LA” baseball cap and a white t-shirt.
The robbers drove away in a 1990s-era green Honda Civic with a partial license plate, either _ _JX80_ or _ _ JX08 _.
A VHS copy of the surveillance tape is available at the LAPD’s Media Relations Section, and the footage may appear later on the Website of KCBS, which broadcast it in a news report this morning.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ken Scott at 323.846.6572. On weekends and during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free Detective Information Desk number at 877.LAWFULL (529.3855).
