SIMI VALLEY : Man Catches Suspect in Pizzeria Holdup

A teen-ager was caught by a witness after the youth and a companion allegedly robbed Little Caesar’s Pizza in Simi Valley, police said Wednesday.

The witness, an off-duty hotel security guard parked outside the pizza parlor, saw two people wearing face masks run from the shop about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, Detective Tom Marshall said.

One was wearing a Halloween mask and carrying a pellet handgun; the other had a paper bag with eye holes over his head and was armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, he said.

The youth with the shotgun ran down a nearby alley, spilling currency and coins from a paper bag, according to the detective.

Both suspects then threw away their weapons and ran in different directions, and the male guard gave chase, he said.

Marshall said the guard yelled at the youth who had carried the shotgun to stop, sit on the ground and put his hands over his head--and he did.

The 16-year-old was booked on suspicion of robbery, Marshall said. The other person, age 18, escaped, he said.

Police were grateful to the guard, Marshall said, but “it wasn’t very smart. We don’t condone that because of the possibility of getting killed.”