Two men and three boys from Compton were taken into custody after two robberies in Seal Beach in just over an hour Tuesday.
Officers responded to Bay Liquor at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Seal Beach Boulevard around 2:09 p.m. Tuesday regarding a robbery, where two cases of beer were stolen moments before the five suspects fled in a silver Honda Odyssey minivan, according to the Seal Beach Police Department.
Officers were sent to the intersection of Sixth Street and Central Avenue at 3:15 p.m. regarding two victims robbed at gunpoint, where the suspects allegedly took two wallets, two cellphones, a pair of earbuds, and car keys from one victim before running away.
“A possible suspect vehicle was observed in the area of First Street and Pacific Coast Highway. Officers initiated a high-risk vehicle stop, and the driver and a passenger complied by remaining in the vehicle, while three other suspects fled on foot northbound toward the San Gabriel River bike path,” police said in a statement.
Huntington Beach Police Department aerial units, along with the Los Alamitos Police K-9 Unit, assisted Seal Beach officers in their search for the other three suspects, who were eventually located and taken into custody without further incident.
Investigators recovered the gun, later determined to be stolen out of Riverside, stashed away in bushes along a bike path, and identified the two men as 18-year-old Jamie Saponguerra and 20-year-old Jose Barragan, according to police.
The vehicle used during the liquor store robbery was registered to the parents of one of the juvenile suspects.
All five suspects were booked on suspicion of receiving stolen property, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, and resisting arrest.
The juvenile suspects were also booked on suspicion of a minor in possession of a firearm.
Anyone with information regarding the robberies was urged to contact Sgt. Joe Garcia at 562-799-4100 at extension 1649 or jfgarcia@sealbeachca.gov.