5 Quickly Arrested After Chatsworth Bank Robbery

Five men were arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery within minutes after a Washington Mutual Bank was held up, police said Wednesday.

The bank at 10370 Mason Ave. was robbed about noon, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Jim Grayson of the Robbery-Homicide Division. About 30 customers and employees were inside when two armed men entered, he said.

“The guys went over behind the counter and told the employees that it was a robbery,” Grayson said. “They took money, as much as they could, and got in a getaway car.”

Those arrested were Akhir Muhaimin, 21, of Baldwin Park; Alander Leon Smith II, 22, of Gardena; Danny Lee Fotno, 21, of Inglewood; and Tason Bryant, 21, and Mark Carter, 18, both of Los Angeles.

Two men fled in a white vehicle, followed by a black vehicle containing three others believed to have been lookouts, Grayson said.

The robbery took about three minutes, and the suspects were taken into custody without incident within six blocks of the bank, Grayson said.

Officers recovered an undisclosed amount of money, gloves, masks and guns.