Robbery Suspects Arrested After Loot Litters Freeway

A Venice couple who are accused of robbing a Garden Grove restaurant and then tossing the cash out of a getaway car window during a freeway chase were stopped and arrested Monday night, officers said Tuesday.

Garden Grove Police Sgt. Paul Prince said about $170 in cash was recovered from the San Diego Freeway following the arrest of Gary Elerick, 37, and his wife, Gloria Elerick, 32.

“The rest of it is unaccounted for, probably just blowing in the wind somewhere,” Prince said.

The Elericks were arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and booked into the Orange County Jail, Prince said. Another officer said that bail for Gary Elerick, a truck driver for a Santa Clara County firm, and his unemployed wife, was set at $50,000 each.

The robbery occurred about 7 p.m. Monday at Love’s Restaurant, 13401 Harbor Blvd., when a man approached the front cash register and asked an employee for change for $1.

Once the register was opened, Prince said, the man grabbed the female worker and demanded cash. The woman gave the suspect about $450, and he fled into a waiting vehicle, police said.

A description of the suspect and getaway car was broadcast over police radio, and moments later, Garden Grove Police Officer Richard Morales spotted a car matching the description as it entered the westbound Garden Grove Freeway from Harbor Boulevard, with a woman driving.

Morales tried to stop the vehicle by flashing his lights, Prince said, and a high-speed chase ensued. The officer followed the car onto the northbound San Diego Freeway as greenbacks were “thrown” out the car windows, Prince said. The car was finally stopped at the Long Beach Boulevard off-ramp of the freeway.