Police are investigating a series of robberies that occurred in several South Bay neighborhoods early Saturday morning.
According to a statement from the Manhattan Beach Police Department, the initial call came in around 3:30 a.m., when officers were dispatched to the 200 block of 40th Street on a report of a robbery that had occurred in the area.
Police arrived on scene and spoke with the victim, who stated he was walking through the area with a friend when a dark-colored Jeep Wrangler approached and attempted to get their attention, the statement said.
“The victim continued walking, ignoring the occupants in the vehicle, but the vehicle continued to pursue him,” the MBPD statement said. “The victim stopped in the 3900 block of Strand Street, where the vehicle stopped and the four suspects exited.”
The victim said one of the men had a black handgun and threatened to “give me everything you have.” Police said the four suspects handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, then returned to their vehicle and fled.
Investigators later learned that there had been two other robberies near 135th Street and Aviation Boulevard in Hawthorne, where the victims reported similar circumstances and suspect descriptions but did not report exactly when the robberies occurred.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact investigators at (310) 802-5140.
Dean Fioresi
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