A group of at least four men, with at least one of them armed, robbed two West Hollywood residents near or at their homes on Harper Avenue Saturday night.
Tara Mart, one of those robbed, described the incident, which occurred at 9 p.m., in a post online. “Last night I was robbed right in front of my building for my Android,” she wrote. “…. There were 3 men who got out of a late model light colored vehicle and one of them walked up and grabbed my phone out of my hand. As he fled, a gun fell to the ground and one of the other men picked it up and also fled to the waiting vehicle.”
Mart said another man, apparently the driver of the car, remained inside it.
Sgt. Lance Eddins of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station said one of the incidents occurred in the 1000 block of Harper Avenue and the other in the 1200 block. Given that both occurred around 9 p.m. and that deputies were given similar descriptions of them, he said it was likely that the same group was involved in both. Eddins said a similar incident occurred just outside of West Hollywood in Los Angeles. All of the incidents remain under investigation.
While WEHOville has been unable to confirm details, the other incident is said to have involved the men knocking on someone’s apartment door on Harper Avenue and robbing him when he answered. The group was said to consist of one African-American man, described as “about 5′ 11″, young, skinny … with a fade” and three Latino men.
In her online post, Mart warned her neighbors to be careful. “These guys are driving up, robbing you and driving off. They are armed, so PLEASE be aware of your surroundings. If I didn’t have my face buried in my phone and was paying attention, it may not have happened..”
We had an armed robbery for a phone last Sat Apr 28 in Spaulding Square. Daylight. Also Donnel Nelson jumped into our yard earlier the same evening.
The same thing happened to a friend of mine with his brand new iphone on Fountain east of Fairfax and I’ve heard of many other such stop and robs in West Hollywood….they just aren’t all making the news (for those with their heads planted firmly in the sand)….don’t be so naive to think for a minute that you are secure because you live in upscale Weho….we are considered easy targets for many reasons. Keep your head out of your phone and Stay alert.
Walking cell phone grazers are such easy targets.
Put your phone away and enjoy the disconnect.
Your brain and perhaps your life may be better for it.
The life you save may be your own.
This stuff is news in WeHo because it rarely happens. The first two comments fly in the face of reality. Doesn’t mean the incidents aren’t serious and horrific for those affected. But to proclaim that crime is rampant defies credulity.
LA and weho cops suck…they love crime…job security
Enough is enough. Clearly the LA County Sheriff is incapable of properly patrolling WeHo and dealing with the rampant problems. It’s time for WeHo to invest in their own police force that understands the community, patrols with regularity and is competent and keeping crime under control. There’s a reason Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica and others don’t just rely on the Sheriff in their cities… and they prove proper policing and competent law enforcement is possible when you’re not dealing with the corrupt and inept Sheriff team.
Perhaps it is time to roll out the “old Watch Group” from 1974 when we patroled the unincorporated area with baseball bats and bright hand lights. Thos were the days when a cop might respond within a few hours – or not. Are we back to that stage of urban living?