Bar Patrons Warned After Rash of Robberies
A string of armed robberies that has spread from gay to straight bars in the San Fernando Valley and Silver Lake areas has prompted warnings from police.
As many as 15 apparently related robberies have occurred since April, Detective Norm Jackson of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery and Homicide Division said Thursday. No injuries have been reported in any of the cases.
“It started out as a pattern with gay bars, but I believe it has spread to straight bars also,” Jackson said. “Basically, the (robber) enters the bar toward midnight and displays a large-caliber handgun and demands the money from the register only.”
Eight of the robberies have occurred in North Hollywood, five in the Silver Lake and Eagle Rock areas, one in Van Nuys and one in the area patrolled by the Devonshire station, Jackson said.
The robberies may have been staged by two people working together, Jackson said. The primary suspect is a white male in his 30s, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, 160 to 185 pounds, with light brown to blond hair, according to Jackson.
Although no injuries have been reported, Jackson had a warning for bar patrons.
“Don’t be a hero,” he said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
