2 Robbery Suspects Arrested After Crash

Two men who allegedly robbed a Westwood jewelry store Friday were arrested after ditching their getaway van, carjacking a Mercedes-Benz and leading police on a chase to Glendale, where they crashed the stolen car, authorities said.

In custody late Friday were Dean Paulino and Dennis Plunkett, both 18-year-olds from South Los Angeles, police said. Both were booked on suspicion of armed robbery.

No one was injured in the robbery or the subsequent crash on the northbound Golden State Freeway near Olive Avenue, Los Angeles Police Lt. Frank Spangler said.

The incident began shortly before noon, when two gunmen burst into Beatrice Jewelers in the 14OO block of Westwood Boulevard, held the owner at gunpoint and handcuffed him, then began smashing display cases full of watches.

“They stole a lot of watches, everything from Rolexes to Timexes,” Spangler said. In all, the thieves stole $40,000 in merchandise, but all of it was recovered, he said. The shop owner’s wife and young daughter also were in the store during the robbery, but were unharmed.

Police were alerted by a passerby who heard the sound of smashing glass and saw the commotion. The robbers fled in a gray Ford van. They abandoned the van near the corner of Purdue Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard and began looking for another getaway vehicle.

“The first car they tried to steal, they encountered a lady, grabbed her, shook her and threatened her, but they couldn’t get her (car) started,” Spangler said. “They bailed out, ran to another young woman getting into a Mercedes, grabbed her by the hair, threatened to kill her, took the car and left the scene.”

At first, police did not know which car to chase, because 911 calls identified all three vehicles in which the suspects were seen, Spangler said.

Police officers then saw the men heading east on the Santa Monica Freeway at La Cienega Boulevard, “and the chase was on,” Spangler said. After passing through Downtown, the suspects sideswiped a car and spun into an embankment, nearly destroying the stolen Mercedes, Spangler said.