Local News in Brief : Guard Held in Robbery Bid
A guard and a field supervisor for a Los Angeles security firm have been accused of conspiring in an attempted armed robbery Wednesday night at a Redondo Beach Thrifty drug store.
Police arrested Kevin Taylor, 27, of Los Angeles and John Gardoza, 64, of Carson shortly after the 10 p.m. closing of the Hawthorne Boulevard Thrifty on Wednesday.
Redondo Beach detectives charged that Taylor, a supervisor with USPS Security Inc., used a pistol to force employees into the back office of the store.
But the Thrifty manager telephoned the 911 emergency line just before being confronted by the masked gunman. The manager did not speak to emergency operators, but the store’s address registered on police computers and patrol cars were dispatched.
Taylor was arrested as he attempted to flee out a rear fire door, according to Sgt. Don Baird.
Taylor later identified Gardoza, the security guard on duty that night, as his accomplice, Baird said.
Both men are scheduled for arraignment Monday in South Bay Municipal Court.
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