Five suspects wanted for an armed robbery of a watch and clock repair shop in Old Town Pasadena led police on a high-speed chase across freeways and surface streets before they abandoned the Kia Soul they were in and fled on foot into an East Hollywood neighborhood where they were captured, authorities said Saturday.
The gunpoint robbery occurred at 4:20 p.m. Friday at Shant’s Clock and Watch Repair at 8 E. Holly St., according to the Pasadena Police Department.
The suspects sped along the Foothill (210), Ventura (134) and Hollywood (170/101) freeways, sometimes driving on the wrong side of streets and narrowly missing other vehicles before pulling onto an off-ramp in East Hollywood about 5 p.m. and fleeing on foot in the area of Melrose Avenue and Kingsley Drive.
The suspects could be seen fleeing through backyards, jumping fences and climbing onto roofs before disappearing from view under a carport as night fell.
Police established a perimeter and brought in a K-9 unit and used air units to search for the suspects.
“Two dogs were deployed and there were two dog bites,” Pasadena police Lt. Max Dahlstein told reporters at the scene. “There was an announcement by the helicopter. If a dog is going to be deployed, we let them know that a dog is going to be deployed. They had ample opportunity to come out from where they were. They made a decision to stay hidden.”
A watch commander reported at 9 p.m. that four people had been taken into custody and a fifth suspect was taken into custody at 11 p.m.