3rd Man Sentenced in Van Nuys Bar Holdup

The last of three men convicted of robbing a Van Nuys bar and holding 22 patrons hostage was sentenced Wednesday to 24 years, four months in prison.

A Van Nuys Superior Court jury in August convicted Albert G. Sutton, 34, of San Dimas on 12 counts of armed robbery and two counts of attempted robbery stemming from the March 14 holdup of the Nice ‘N’ Easy bar on Sepulveda Boulevard.

The other defendants, Otis Tooks, 31, and Arthur Taylor, 25, both of Compton, were convicted on the same charges. Tooks was sentenced Sept. 12 to the maximum term of 35 years and four months in prison and Taylor was sentenced to 24 years, four months. Tooks received a longer term because of prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and attempted burglary.

The men entered the bar about 7:30 p.m., herded customers at gunpoint into a back room and robbed them of their jewelry and cash, police said. The stolen goods had a value of about $2,000, police said.

After one of the patrons escaped and called police, two of the suspects tried to escape through the roof but were sighted by the crew of a hovering police helicopter. The men were arrested after police surrounded the bar and the customers were released unhurt from the back room.

Wind created by the helicopter’s whirling blades scattered the robber’s stolen cash and sent it floating down to the street, police said.