Witnesses Help in Arrests After Holdup

Several witnesses helped security guards and Torrance police track down three youths who robbed a woman Sunday morning in a parking garage at the Del Amo Fashion Center, police said.

A bystander directed security guards to a truck that one youth had crawled beneath. Torrance police apprehended the other two suspects a few minutes later after a phone call from a second resident. A third person led police to the youths’ car after they were caught.

Police said one of the youths held a starter gun, which shoots blanks, to the woman’s head when he grabbed her purse, which contained $213. The purse and gun were found near the mall.