U-Haul truck’s not a great getaway car: Armed robbery suspects nabbed

A man and a teenager suspected of carrying out an armed robbery of cell phones near Dodger Stadium and fleeing in a U-Haul truck were taken into custody Tuesday after being caught in a police search perimeter, authorities said.

The robbery was reported at 7:15 p.m. Monday in the 700 block of Lookout Drive. The victims had just pulled up to the location when one male hopped out of the truck, which was parked in the middle of the street, and stole the victims’ cell phones, police said.

Information about the robbery was broadcast over police radios, and officers in the Echo Park area around midnight spotted the U-Haul truck that had been involved, said Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section.

Officers observed the driver commit several traffic violations, prompting them to conduct a stop, Lopez said. When the driver failed to stop, a short pursuit ensued and the suspects fled from the truck minutes later.

A search perimeter was set up in the area of Lakeshore Avenue and Avalon Street, and with the help of a police dog, the suspects were found and taken into custody around 3:45 a.m., Lopez said.

A handgun was recovered in the truck, Lopez said.

—City News Service