2 Robberies at Knifepoint

A Lomita woman asleep in her home on 248th Street, and a convenience store clerk several blocks away, were both robbed at knifepoint this weekend. Authorities believe that the robberies were related.

Lomita sheriff’s deputies said the robber escaped with $1,520 in cash, $1,370 of it from the first victim, Rebecca Magdaleno, 33. Magdaleno was awakened at 10:15 p.m. Friday when a knife-wielding man, who apparently entered the house through the living room window, walked into her bedroom and ordered her out of bed.

Deputies said the intruder demanded money, and the woman emptied her purse on the floor, giving him $70. He then sifted through the contents of the purse, and, upon discovering an envelope containing $1,300, put the knife to the woman’s neck and demanded more money. When she told him that was all she had, deputies said, he left through the front door.

The second robbery occurred at 1:15 a.m. Saturday at the AM PM Mini Mart at 2380 W. Lomita Blvd. Deputies said a man who carried an eight-inch knife and matched the description of the earlier robber walked behind the counter and demanded money from the clerk, Jeanie Iuta, 23, of Wilmington. When Iuta opened the cash register drawer, the thief took $150 and fled.

Detective Don Mihovil said the robberies were unusual for Lomita, which, he said, is “relatively robbery free.”