Cashiers Threatened With Grenades : Suspect Charged in 2 Market Holdups

Robbery charges were filed Tuesday in Van Nuys Municipal Court against a Granada Hills man accused of brandishing a grenade and threatening to “blow away” cashiers in two San Fernando Valley supermarkets if they didn’t hand over money.

The man, Patrick G. Devoucoux, 34, is free on $16,000 bail pending his arraignment Jan. 6, a spokesman from the district attorney’s office said. He was arrested Dec. 16.

The robberies occurred Dec. 3 at a Woodland Hills Ralphs grocery and Dec. 11 at a Canoga Park Safeway store, Los Angeles police said.

In both robberies, police said, a man passing through the checkout line showed the cashier a grenade in one hand and an automatic pistol in the other.

“He told them to put the money in a grocery bag. If they didn’t, he said, he was going to blow them away,” said Lt. Joe Diglio.

Police said they do not know if the grenade was live or merely an empty casing. No shots were fired and no one was injured. The suspect fled with about $400 in cash from the register in each robbery.

Ammo in Room

A week before Devoucoux’s arrest, the police bomb squad was called to investigate what appeared to be arms and ammunition found in a room Devoucoux rented in Woodland Hills. The owner of the house, whose name was not released, called police when hand grenades were spotted “in plain view,” Diglio said.

Investigators found only empty grenade casings, which are legal to possess and are commonly stocked at gun or ammunition stores, police said. Investigators did not find explosive powder or detonating devices for the grenades. Commonplace rifles, guns and ammunition were also found in his room, police said.

Legal Munitions

Bomb squad officers found the munitions to be legal but told West Valley detectives about them, police said.

Because of reports of the robber who used a grenade and handgun to hold up grocery stores, Diglio said, Devoucoux was called in for questioning and was arrested afterward at the police station.

Devoucoux is suspected in at least two other grocery robberies outside the Valley, police said, but no charges have been filed in those.