2 Teen-Agers Held, 1 Sought in Limousine Crime Spree

Three teen-agers stole a white Cadillac limousine and allegedly used it in several street robberies in the Wilshire and West Los Angeles areas, police said Sunday.

Two suspects, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, were booked on suspicion of robbery at Eastlake Juvenile Hall after their arrest soon after midnight, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Sterling Gordon. A third suspect escaped. Names of the suspects were not released because of their ages.

The crime spree began about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, when the teens confronted Abbas Ammadi, the limousine’s driver, who had stopped to eat at a Taco Bell restaurant in the 1000 block of South La Brea Avenue, police said. Ammadi told officers that one robber had a handgun and another what appeared to be a shotgun.

Later, police in West Los Angeles took two reports of crimes involving a similar limousine, Gordon said. Officers at the West Los Angeles division could not provide details Sunday.

About 11:30 p.m., Gordon said, a limousine pulled up next to a man in the 1200 block of Hi Point Street, near Pico Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. The car’s occupants took the man’s wallet, Gordon said.

The victim phoned police with a description.

Then, officers on patrol spotted the limo and chased it several blocks, until it swerved out of control and was involved in a minor collision at San Vicente Boulevard and Cochran Avenue, Police Sgt. Bruce Wilson said.

“Three suspects bailed out and two were taken into custody,” Gordon said. One was found hiding behind a tree and another on the roof of a nearby city maintenance yard, Gordon said.