South Bay : Man Helps Police Catch 2 Robbery Suspects

A good Samaritan from Yorba Linda used his cellular phone to lead police to two bank robbery suspects Wednesday when he followed a suspicious-looking car leaving a Torrance bank, police said.

The 59-year-old man, whose name was not disclosed, followed the vehicle from the Great Western Bank in the 17400 block of Hawthorne Boulevard at 9:22 a.m. when he noticed that the license plate was covered with a piece of paper, police said. He followed the car onto the Harbor Freeway, calling Torrance police on his car phone, said Sgt. Ed Lalonde. Although the man lost sight of the car at Rosecrans Avenue and the San Diego Freeway, police responding to the call apprehended the men on the Harbor Freeway near the Century Freeway.

James Lee Jones, 23, and Lane Scranton, 47, both of Pacoima, were arrested and booked on suspicion of bank robbery.