8th robbery is reported in Melrose area
An eighth robbery within two weeks has taken place in the popular shopping area along Melrose Avenue, authorities said Friday.
Three young men jumped out of a car about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and snatched a purse from one of two women walking together in the 500 block of Genesee Avenue near Fairfax High School, said Officer Ana Aguirre of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The suspects, all described as black and in their late teens to early 20s, got back into the car, a silver Chevrolet Malibu, and fled, Aguirre said.
“The incident seems to be meeting the same criteria but we’re not sure if it’s the same group as suspected in previous robberies,” Aguirre said, noting that in Wednesday’s incident the robbers were unarmed and the holdup took place in broad daylight, unlike the previous seven robberies.
Residents who live in and around trendy Melrose Avenue have launched a campaign to warn neighbors and visitors to take precautions in response to the crime wave.
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