3 Teens Arrested After Buena Park Pizzeria Robbery

Police arrested three juveniles Monday on suspicion of robbing a pizza parlor in Buena Park and believe they may have committed two other robberies in southeast Los Angeles County, authorities said.

Robbers entered La Pizza Loca, 7922 Orangethorpe Ave., at 9:08 p.m., showed a gun to the cashier and demanded money, Sgt. Ken Coovert said. The cashier gave them an undisclosed sum.

During the holdup, a witness outside the eatery flagged a California Highway Patrol officer who called Buena Park police.

When the robbers left, the CHP officer gave chase in his squad car, but the men escaped by jumping a fence and climbing into a stolen car, Coovert said.

Minutes later, Police Sgt. Bob Mote and Cpl. Don McCay saw the teenagers pull off a residential street and pursued them on Stanton Avenue.

The suspects traveled a short distance and crashed into a parked car on Larkspur Drive. They tried to flee on foot but were apprehended.

Police arrested two 17-year-olds and a 15-year-old, all of Los Angeles. They will be charged with armed robbery and possession of stolen property, Coovert said.

Earlier Monday night, there were robberies in La Mirada and Whittier. The descriptions of the bandits fit those of the youths detained in Buena Park, Coovert said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Whittier Police Department are investigating those crimes.