Crime wave concerns city

Robert Chacon

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies have stepped up patrols of the

city’s business district to respond to a recent spate of armed

robberies.

Some people find it difficult to explain why seven hold-ups of

businesses along Foothill Boulevard occurred in the city during a

30-day period. The most recent was Monday. Some city leaders and law

enforcement officials say the sudden rash of robberies, though

unusual, is coincidental. Others, including some business owners,

feel that criminals are taking advantage of the city’s reputation as

a sleepy town.

Many cannot recall when the city has had a similar spurt of

robberies.

“Looking back at four years of statistics, we have not seen a

similar 30-day period,” said Capt. Tim Peters of the Crescenta Valley

Sheriff’s Station.

Many law enforcement, city and business officials agreed that

robbers have probably targeted La Canada Flintridge because of the

city’s easy access to the Foothill (210) and Glendale (2) freeways.

The seven businesses recently hit are Round Table Pizza, Oct. 15;

See’s Candies, Oct. 29; La Canada Florist, Nov. 1; Blockbuster Video,

Nov. 3; Citizens Business Bank, Nov. 11; World Savings Bank, Nov. 12;

and Jo-Ann’s Fabrics on Monday.

Suspects have been arrested in connection with the robberies of

See’s Candies, La Canada Florist, Blockbuster Video and Citizens

Business Bank.

One suspect arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers

admitted robbing La Canada Florist and See’s Candies, Peters said.

The other robberies do not appear to be connected, Peters said.

Three suspects -- two juveniles -- were arrested outside the

Blockbuster store the night of the robbery, authorities said.

Pasadena Police Department officers arrested four suspects -- all

from Los Angeles -- on suspicion of the Citizens Business Bank

robbery, Peters said.

“Certainly, the robberies are of great concern to me and all of

the City Council, but we have full confidence in our Sheriff’s

department,” La Canada Flintridge Mayor Laura Olhasso said.

Many shop owners say they are being more vigilant since the rash

of robberies and they are worried about the safety of their workers.

Hamlet Shahbazian, owner of La Canada Video, said he won’t let his

young employees work after 8 p.m. He prefers to work alone until the

shop closes at 10 p.m., he said.

“I am quite concerned. It’s scary,” Shahbazian said. “I am not

that concerned about my property.”

Kathleen Goodwin, who owns Intimo, a clothing boutique, said she

no longer requires that her employees park behind the store,

especially since Friday when two men asked one of her young employees

questions regarding hours of operation, daily revenue and number of

employees.

“I am sick with worry. This is a young lady. I am responsible for

her,” Goodwin said. “I don’t care about my merchandise. I just care

about my employees.”

She called Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s deputies to report the

suspicious activity and gave a description of the two men and the car

in which they drove away.

Other business owners said they have recently had similar visits

from men asking the same types of questions.

Deputy Roger Burt was cruising the parking lots of strip malls on

Foothill Boulevard on Tuesday. He is part of an extra patrol unit

that is focusing on business activity in the city.

“We are creating a greater presence and taking notice of anything

unusual like suspicious vehicles, eyeballing businesses to make sure

they are OK,” he said.

Aside from extra patrols, crime analysts are reviewing the recent

robberies for clues, Peters said. Detectives from his station are

also reviewing records of recently released inmates to see if they

have a history of committing crimes in the city, and are doing “some

secretive things” to address the issue, he added.

Peters encouraged residents to call the station any time they

witness suspicious activity. Most of the arrests connected to local

crimes happened because someone called when a robbery was in

progress, or because witnesses were able to call in a description of

a vehicle or a robber, Peters said.

Some people speculate that the crime spree can be blamed on the

city’s crime-free reputation lulling residents into a false sense of

security.

“We have enjoyed this aura of being a sleepy little town for a

long time” and criminals might think this is now a “soft spot for

crime,” said husband and wife Jerry and Glenda Berman as they bought

a sandwich at a diner Tuesday.

They were not worried about shopping at stores in the city,

however, citing the suspects that have been arrested.

“The [deputies] have done a great job in regards to these crimes,”

Jerry Berman said.

Hopefully, the criminals also take notice of the arrests, said Pat

Anderson, executive director of the La Canada Flintridge Chamber of

Commerce.

“We are small, but we are mighty,” she said. “Hopefully, people

know that we are on our toes.”