Masked, Baseball Bat Brandishing Robber Holds Up East Pasadena Store

A masked 19-year-old man brandishing a baseball bat on Thursday robbed a convenience store in unincorporated East Pasadena, the Sheriff’s Department said, and may committed four similar robberies in the San Gabriel Valley earlier that day.

Malcolm Buchanan was arrested in Duarte Thursday when deputies spotted his car after the robbery of a gas station convenience store in the 3800 block of Colorado Boulevard in unincorporated East Pasadena, said Lt. Ignacio Samoano of the sheriff’s Temple Station.

Two employees of the station told investigators they saw a man park a vehicle near the business Thursday and walk to the front door carrying a baseball bat and ski mask, Samoano said.

Before entering, the suspect put on the ski mask, but not before the victims saw his face, he said.

After being handed an undisclosed sum from the cash register, he fled the gas station, got back into the vehicle and drove off, Samoano said. The victims reported the license plate number and a patrol deputy pulled the vehicle over in the 2600 block of Bashor Street in Duarte.

A baseball bat and ski mask were recovered from the vehicle, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Detectives were investigating Buchanan’s possible involvement in at least four similar reported robberies that occurred in the San Gabriel Valley earlier in the day, Samoano said.