Police Arrest Parolee in Series of Store Holdups

A parolee suspected of robbing at least 12 supermarkets and armored trucks during the past month was arrested Thursday as he sat in the parking lot of a Canoga Park market with a gun, Los Angeles police said.

Police and market executives declined to say how much money was taken in the robberies or where they occurred.

Richard Charles Shamoon, 43, of Burbank was arrested at a Vons market in the 20000 block of Roscoe Boulevard. Shamoon, who was on parole for kidnap and robbery at the time of his arrest, was held without bail at the Devonshire Station on suspicion of armed robbery, police said.

Officers, who had been instructed to keep an eye on the Vons market because of the rash of robberies, spotted the man sitting in his car about 1 p.m. and stopped to question him because “he matched the description of a suspect from numerous armed robberies,” Lt. Don Kitchen said.

Moments later, an armored truck pulled into the parking lot, arousing the suspicions of the officers that he was laying in wait for it, Kitchen said.

Officers ordered Shamoon out of the car and found a gun and narcotics inside, Kitchen said. “We think he was either going to hit the market or the armored car,” he said.

Shamoon was arrested without incident and told officers he had recently been released from prison after serving a 15-year sentence for robbery.

Shamoon was also a suspect in another robbery at a restaurant early Thursday, Kitchen said. He declined to give details.

A spokesman for Vons refused to comment on the incident.

“It’s a good arrest,” Kitchen said. “It’s going to prevent a lot of robberies.”