2 Arrested, 2 Sought in Hostage-Robbery Attempt

Sheriff’s deputies and SWAT officers arrested two suspects and were looking for two others following a hostage-for-ransom robbery attempt at a Bellflower home early Monday.

The four would-be robbers, armed and upset about not getting paid for a used pickup truck they had sold, allegedly creeped into the house of the truck’s new owner and accosted him as he took a bath, the victim’s grandson said. They then allegedly forced the man to go to his business and get $4,000 due on the truck.

The four teen-age intruders let Orlie Coca, 52, owner of a Long Beach auto parts store, leave alone to get the money, authorities said. Coca’s wife, Lupe, 46, and grandson, Steben, 8, were kept at their house to ensure the merchant’s cooperation. Coca called 911 from a cellular phone, authorities said. Two suspects fled after waiting for Coca at a restaurant, and two others, who were not identified because of their age, were arrested near the home.