Spate of Strong Arm Robberies Erupts Thursday in Pasadena

A series of strong-arm robberies and an assault with a deadly weapon incident swept across Pasadena Thursday, with at least four victims losing their cellphones to robbers.

Police think two of the robberies may be related.

At about 2:50 p.m., the Pasadena Police Department received a call about a man bleeding from the head as he chased another male in the area of Colorado Blvd. and Madre Street in Pasadena. During the investigation, it turned out a 31-year-old man from Rosemead had been hit by a metal electrical junction box thrown by another man who appeared to be a transient at the parking lot of OSH Hardware.

Lt. John Mercado said the victim told police he confronted the suspect who was rummaging through a donation bin located at the parking lot.

“The suspect became confrontational with the victim, at which point the victim decided to ride away on his bike,” Mercado said. “A few moments later, he was back and saw the suspect had this electrical box in his hand and threw it at the victim. The victim tried to duck but the hit him at the back of his head.”

The victim chased the suspect, black man in his 40’s, who was able to get away.

Mercado said the suspect had on a grey hat, had a short beard and was wearing a shirt and pants; he used a four-inch-by-four-inch electrical junction box in the assault.

The first in the series of strong-arm robberies happened at about 4:10 p.m. in the 1400 block of N. Raymond Avenue, where a juvenile male Hispanic was assaulted by three male suspects, described as teenagers, as he was walking through La Pintoresca Park.

“The victim said the suspects approached him and asked to borrow his cellphone to make a call,” Mercado said. “He gave it to one of the suspects, who passed the phone on to another before all three suspects began to walk away. The victim followed and tried to get his phone back, but the suspects turned on him and began to assault him. He tried to run away but slipped and fell, and the assault continued.”

Mercado said the victim sustained swelling at the back of his head and cut on one of his fingers. He said the suspects were all young black men, one was about five foot eight inches tall, about 130 pounds and was riding a scooter; another was described as an older teenager who wore black clothing; and the third wore a blue sweater and black pants.

At about 9:30 p.m., a Pasadena man in his early 20s was assaulted from behind by at least two male suspects as he was walking in the area of Colorado Blvd. and Oak Knoll Avenue. The victim fell to the ground as the suspects proceeded to pull his backpack off and fled the area.

Mercado said the victim lost his cellphone which was in the backpack. He also could not offer descriptions of the suspects as he didn’t see them and just heard their voices.

At about 9:35 p.m., another Pasadena man, 20 years old, lost his cellphone to three suspects who assaulted him as he walking on Del Mar Blvd. near Hudson Avenue and using his cellphone.

“The victim noticed a car with its lights off stop in the middle of the road next to him,” Mercado said. “One suspect exited the car, charged him and attempted to punch him, but he was able to deflect the strike and wrestled the suspect to the ground. A second suspect exited the car and ran up and pushed the victim off of the first suspect. The suspect took the phone, ran up the car which fled out of sight.”

The victim could describe only one of the suspects as a young black man, about 16 to 20 years old, about five feet eight inches tall, weighed 140 pounds , and was wearing a grey sweater.

The suspects used a silver Mercedes sedan, driven by a third suspect, as a getaway vehicle.

Finally, at about 10:20 p.m., in the 1300 block of East Colorado Blvd., a Pasadena woman in her late 50s who was walking towards a McDonald’s restaurant was robbed of her purse which contained her cellphone.

“She saw the suspect standing near the restaurant, and as she walked past the suspect, she felt someone from behind pull her purse which was strapped across her body,” Mercado said. “She began to struggle to retain possession of the purse, but the suspect was able to overpower her, threw her to the ground and removed her purse.”

The suspect fled the area on foot, Mercado said. The victim described him as black man in his 20s, wearing a blue windbreaker jacket, blue jeans and white shoes.

Like the other victims in the three preceding robberies, the woman, who sustained bruises and scrapes on her fingers and knees, did not require medical attention, Mercado said.

Anyone with information about the incidents and the suspects is advised to call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241.