NEWS: Robbers attack man, flee with marijuana worth $500

Whittier, California

WHITTIER, CA - A man who tried to sell marijuana valued at $500 to a medical marijuana dispensary was later assaulted and robbed of his wares by two men Friday night.

Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean said the 10:02 p.m. attack in the 13300 block of Slauson Avenue left the 26-year-old Los Angeles man with a cut above the eye and a broken finger.

Dean said the man earlier went to a Santa Fe Springs dispensary to sell marijuana he grew but was turned down.

Later, he was on Slauson Avenue in Whittier when two men accosted him and demanded the marijuana which was in a backpack.

"It sounds like they fought over the bag," Dean said.

One of the robbers pulled a knife, he added.

"They took the marijuana, cut him over (the eye), broke his finger in several places," Dean said.

The injured man was taken to a local hospital.

Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune

NEWS: Medical marijuana delivery man reports he was robbed by ninjas in West Covina

WEST COVINA - Police are looking into a bizarre report of a medical marijuana robbery involving two attackers dressed as ninjas, officials said.

Police received the strange report shortly before 10 p.m. Friday from a medical marijuana delivery man who said he had been robbed in the 800 block of South Sunset Avenue, near Cameron Avenue, after making a delivery to a patient West Covina police Lt. Alan Henley said.

The delivery man, who was in his 40s, told police that, "As he was going back to his vehicle, he was approached by two subjects in ninja costumes who chased him with batons," the lieutenant said.

"The victim said he was scared and he dropped a bag with some marijuana and money. The suspects took it," Henley added.

It was not clear how much cash or pot was taken, police added.

The incident remained under investigation. Police were not aware of any other recent crimes involving suspects dressed as ninjas.

Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune

NEWS: Two more arrested in former Chico man's killing in Long Beach

LONG BEACH — Two more suspects have been arrested in the killing of a former Chico man in 2011 in what's believed to be a medical marijuana robbery.

Phillip Victor Williamson, 29, of Los Angeles, died March 25 of that year, after being found in an alley the previous night, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Investigators discovered Williamson was involved in the distribution of marijuana from Chico to medical marijuana collectives in Los Angeles.

Williamson was thought to be carrying about $500,000 in cash and seven pounds of processed marijuana when he was killed. None of the money or pot was recovered.

Marcel Maurice Mackabee, 29, was taken into custody by Long Beach police in Chico last July 31 followed a lengthy investigation.

Mackabee's wife, Rosemary Sayegh, 32, was charged as an accessory on July 29 in the slaying of Williamson, but the case against her was later dismissed without prejudice.

Prosecutors said it could be refiled at a later date.

On Thursday detectives on the Long Beach Police Department's Career Criminal Apprehension Team arrested two more suspects. Kenneth Ray Johnson, 36, and Charles Anthony Mackbee, 42, both of Long Beach, were arrested at approximately 10 a.m. at their homes without incident. Charles

Anthony Mackabee and Marcel Mackabee are cousins.

Today the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged both new suspects with one count of murder.

Anyone who may have information on this case is asked to contact homicide detectives Scott Lasch and Donald Goodman at 1-562-570-7244. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via text or web by visiting www.tipsoft.com.

Source: Chico Enterprise-Record

NEWS: LAPD Arrests Six Robbery Suspects

The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested three people suspected of robbing a medical marijuana facility at gunpoint on Eagle Rock Boulevard in March, plus three burglary suspects allegedly responsible for a rash of robberies in Eagle Rock and Highland Park.

The recent arrests, including those pertaining to three robberies in Eagle Rock and four in Highland Park, were announced to the board of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council at its monthly meeting Tuesday night by LAPD Senior Lead Officer Craig Orange, who is in charge of controlling crime in Eagle Rock.

That’s the “good news,” Orange told the ERNC Board at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. The “bad news” is that two car-borne suspects wanted for robbing six people in Eagle Rock of their iPhones are “still on the loose.”

The iPhone bandits struck again last Tuesday, August 2, on Laverne Avenue, on the west side of Eagle Rock Boulevard, Orange said, confirming Crimemapping.com data reported on Eagle Rock Patch Monday.

Orange described the bandits as “young, clean-cut guys” who drive around in a beige-colored Toyota sedan and tend to target people walking or jogging. The robberies, conducted by threat of force or fear over the past six weeks or so, invariably occur between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

It’s not clear whether the robbers are armed or if they pretend to be, Orange said, describing their modus operandi. While one of the suspects remains in the getaway car, the other man approaches the victim from one side and sticks an object into the victim’s side while saying, “I got a gun,” Orange said, adding that usually the victim is too scared to notice whether the robber is in fact armed or not.

Plainclothes officers of the LAPD’s Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT) were responsible for tracking down and arresting the alleged robbers of the pot dispensary, Eagle Rock Herbal Collective, after months of painstaking surveillance and intelligence work, Orange said.

Two of the suspects, male ex-convicts in their early 20s, have been charged with robbery, possession of illegal weapons and kidnapping, Orange said. Assisting them in their robbery of the marijuana facility was a young woman. All three are from Pasadena, Orange said.

LAPD’s CAT officers, who were honored at the August 2 National Night Out celebration in Eagle Rock, have been trying to apprehend the iPhone bandits as well, Orange said.

“I don’t want to give out too much information,” Orange told Eagle Rock Patch. “But they’ll get caught.”

Source: Eagle Rock Patch

NEWS: Video footage of medical marijuana dispensary robbery released by LAPD

Los Angeles police released security video footage Thursday of three men who shot and wounded two employees during a robbery earlier this month at a Northridge marijuana dispensary.

Det. Joel Price from the West Valley station said police want help in identifying the men, who entered the medical marijuana cooperative in the 8200 block of White Oak Avenue about 9:25 p.m. Dec. 15. Two of the men fired multiple times and wounded two men before fleeing.

One of the victims took out a handgun and returned fire but was shot by the robbers, police said.

One of the victims was critically injured, having been shot several times in the head, arm and legs, police said. The other man was wounded in the back and legs.

The robbers took out what they believed was a video recorder, a small amount of marijuana and an undetermined amount of cash before leaving in a late-model Nissan Titan pickup truck.

The robbers are described as three male Latinos. Police describe one of them as between 5 feet 1 and 5 feet 10, weighing 170 pounds, with a thick mustache. He was wearing a blue and white knit ski cap with ear covers, police said.

Another was 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 10 and weighed about 170 pounds, with short brown hair, a mustache and heavy eyebrows. He was wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans and also had a handgun, police said.

The third robber was described wearing dark pants, a zip-up jacket and a black New York Mets baseball cap.

Source: Los Angeles Times

NEWS: 2 Shot During Medical Marijuana Dispensary Robbery

LOS ANGELES—Police say two people have been shot during a robbery of a medical marijuana dispensary in the Northridge area of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles police Officer Gary Shanahan tells City News Service three gunmen entered the business at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. He says shots were fired, two people were hit and the suspects fled with an unknown amount of cash.

Shanahan says the two wounded people were hospitalized. The conditions are not known.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

NEWS: Break-in uncovers marijuana growing operation

Photo by Edward Sifuentes

Thieves took about 260 marijuana plants from a secret indoor growing operation at an Escondido industrial complex off Harmony Grove Road, police said Monday.

Police were called to the complex when someone reported a break-in at about 7 a.m., Lt. Craig Carter said. Officers found broken glass outside one of the units of the complex at 1291 Pacific Oaks Place in western Escondido.

"I guess there is no honor among marijuana dealers," the lieutenant said.

Along with the broken glass, police found bits of marijuana plants and leaves on the ground outside the building. Inside, they found an operation estimated to have housed more than 300 plants, including about 260 mature plants that apparently were uprooted and taken, Carter said.

An additional 70 smaller plants were left behind. The marijuana was estimated to be worth nearly $800,000.

Mike Morris, who runs a decorative stone business next door, said he and others in the complex were not surprised.

"The place smelled like weed," Morris said.

Morris, who has been in the complex for about six months, said the operators were generally good neighbors.

"They didn't cause any disturbances," Morris said.

Authorities were trying to determine who rented the suite, Carter said. He said he did not know whether the operation was a medical marijuana establishment.

The case was turned over to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Carter said.

Authorities have seized nearly 380,000 marijuana plants so far this year from illegal indoor and outdoor grows in San Diego County, law enforcement officials said two weeks ago.

More than 84,000 plants were seized from private land and more than 120,000 plants were taken from U.S. Forestry Service land, according to the San Diego County Integrated Narcotics Task Force.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Escondido Police Department's tip line at 760-743-8477.

Source: North County Times

NEWS: Medical marijuana collective robbed

SAN DIEGO — A worker at a Sorrento Valley medical marijuana collective was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night, San Diego police said.

Two men carrying pistols walked into San Diego Herbal Alternatives on Oberlin Drive, south of Mira Mesa Boulevard, about 7:40 p.m and demanded money, police Officer David Stafford said.

The female employee handed over some money and the men left. Police had only sketchy descriptions of the robbers.



Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

NEWS: Pepper-Spraying Men Rob Marijuana Dispensary

Police are searching for three men who robbed the Care Alternative Group medical marijuana dispensary on Thanksgiving.

The suspects entered the North Park business in the afternoon, then one of them got a drink of water while some unsuspecting customers stood around waiting. The scene turned chaotic when the men jumped up on the counter, pepper-sprayed the receptionist, then headed into the back room while the customers fled.

The first suspect burst through the door, jumped over the counter and began to beat an employee. The robber's accomplice rushed in, also unleashing pepper spray. while the other man stole the marijuana.

The injured employee began to fight back, but the the criminals took off.

"We certainly have had a number of these kinds of cases in the last three or four months," said San Diego police Lt. Dan Christman.

The dispensary owners said the criminals got away with about $1,000 worth of pot. They said they recognized at least one of the men, who was a former customer. Investigators say the men made their get-away ina a gray Ford Focus, where a driver was waiting.

Source: NBC San Diego

NEWS: Second man charged in Santa Fe Springs pot dispensary robbery

SANTA FE SPRING - Police say a Los Angeles man is the second suspect in a botched Aug. 10 robbery of a medical marijuana dispensary where the security guard fought with the robbers.

But the culprits didn't get any money or marijuana from AP Natural Solutions in the 9800 block of Alburtis Avenue. They left with the guard's gun.

Chavasco Coogler, 29, was arraigned Monday at Whittier Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery and to possession of a firearm by a felon, said Shiara Davila-Morales, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

She said he returns to court Dec. 7 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.

The criminal complaint also alleges that Coogler used a gun to commit the crime and personally fired the weapon.

He is being held at Men's Central Jail in lieu of $285,000 bail. He was the last of the two suspects caught.

Whittier police Lt. Bill Webster said Coogler was arrested Nov. 3 by Riverside police on the outstanding warrant. He didn't have details about the arrest.

The other suspect, 18-year-old Travon Brooks of Harbor City, was caught Aug. 26 and has pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery.

The prosecution further alleged that Brooks personally used a gun and fired a weapon. Brooks' next court date is Nov. 23.

He remains in custody at the North County Correctional Facility in lieu of $115,000 bail.

Police said two men posing as customers got into AP Natural Solutions the night of Aug. 10.
A security video released by police shows the men fighting with the guard. When they found out they're locked inside, one of the suspects shot at the steel security door which isn't visible in the tape.

They later forced the guard to unlock the door.

Source: Whittier Daily News

NEWS: Whittier Dispensary Robbery Caught On Tape

SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Police have released dramatic surveillance video as they search for a pair of suspects involved in a botched robbery at a medical marijuana dispensary.

It happened at AP Natural Solutions located in the 9800 block of Alburtis Avenue in Santa Fe Springs on August 10, as first reported by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

The suspects posed as customers to gain entry to the business. The surveillance video shows the men signing a guest sheet. Once inside, one of the suspects pulled a gun and pointed it at the security guard. The second suspect grabbed the guard's gun and the two began to struggle, according to Whittier police.

Watch Video

Several shots were fired into the metal security door when the suspects found out they were locked inside the business. When the couldn't get out, the suspects then threatened the guard and forced him to unlock the door. They got away without any cash or marijuana, but did flee the scene with the guard's gun, police said.

The guard was hurt during the incident, but it's unclear if he was taken to the hospital or the extent of his injuries.

The suspects have not been tied to other robberies and it's believed this is the first robbery at the AP Natural Solutions business, according to Whittier police.

The suspects were described as two black men, 20 to 25. One is 6-feet tall, weighs 170 pounds and wore a black jacket with yellow embroidered dragons on the front and back.

The second suspect is 5-feet 10-inches tall, weighs about 160 pounds and wore a black bomber jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Whittier Detective Bureau at 562-409-1869.

MUST SEE VIDEO: Medical Marijuana Armed Robbery Suspects Sought Images Caught on Tape

The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying two men who robbed a medical marijuana store at gunpoint in the Van Nuys Area on Tuesday, July 13, 2010.



At around 1:45 p.m., two men walked into a shop located at the 13600 block of Vanowen Street. The men posed as customers when one of them pulled a semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it at an employee, demanding money and property. Both suspects took the employee to the rear of the store. One suspect held the victim at gunpoint, while the other gathered property from the store. As the men were trying to leave the store, they found themselves stuck between two locked doors. In order to make their escape the suspects shot through a glass barrier and ran out of the store. Once outside they drove away in a 2000 model Burgundy Escalade.

The gunmen are described as male African Americans. The first suspect stands about 6 feet tall and weighs around 185 pounds, wearing prescription glasses, a blue long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and dark-colored shoes. The second suspect is slightly shorter weighing 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a long brown and white long sleeve-shirt, dark pants, and brown and white shoes.


Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to call Van Nuys Division robbery Detectives Oshea and Flores at 818-374-0074. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) using a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "web tips" and follow the prompts.