Buena Park : 4 L.A. Gang Members Arrested in Jewel Heist

Four members of a Los Angeles street gang, suspected in recent years of using sledgehammers to smash jewelry display cases, were arrested Tuesday, minutes after they allegedly used the same technique in a jewelry store robbery on Beach Boulevard, police said.

Buena Park Police Sgt. Terry Branum said the incident began when three males entered Country Club Jewelers about 4:15 p.m., forced patrons and employees down on the floor and “proceeded to break open the display cases with sledgehammers.”

A witness saw the three males drive behind the store into the parking area of an apartment complex and switch to a Cadillac driven by a woman, Branum said. Police caught up with the suspects as they were about to enter the Santa Ana Freeway at Artesia Boulevard, Branum added. He said the three males were discovered hiding in the car’s trunk.

Arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, Branum said, were Vickie Ann Ingram, 21, of Baldwin Hills; Joseph Roosevelt Brenklin, 19, of Los Angeles, and two male juveniles, ages 14 and 16, whose names were withheld because of their age.