Local News in Brief : 2 Arrested in Robbery; 12 Victims Also Held

An armed robbery in a Canoga Park apartment, where authorities suspect stolen property was being traded for drugs, ended in the arrests of 14 people--including a dozen of the holdup victims, Los Angeles police said Monday.

Police went to the apartment building in the 7300 block of Variel Avenue at 11:15 p.m. Sunday after a disturbance was reported. Police said two officers found no signs of a problem until they heard loud voices coming from an apartment.

“They heard somebody saying ‘Get down!’ and ‘Where’s the dope?”’ said Detective Ed Pikor of the West Valley Division robbery unit.

The officers crept up and looked through a window, where they saw a man with a shotgun and another man with a knife forcing people to the floor, tying them up and searching their pockets, Pikor said.

Pikor said backup officers were called and the people in the apartment were ordered out by police. The alleged robbers came out along with 12 robbery victims, whose hands were still tied. He said Arthur (Johnny) Wizar, 30, and Gilbert (Johnny) Carlin, 26, both of Canoga Park, were arrested on suspicion of armed robbery.

Inside the apartment, Pikor said, police found small quantities of marijuana, cocaine and an undisclosed number of stolen electronic appliances.

The robbery victims were arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property or suspicion of possessing narcotics, he said.

On Monday, the 13 men and one woman remained in the West Valley Jail in lieu of bail ranging from $1,000 to $16,000, Pikor said.