Police: Teen arrested for carrying gun involved in assault

SOUTH GLENDALE — A 17-year-old Los Angeles boy who was arrested Saturday while carrying a loaded firearm has been identified this week as the suspect who allegedly assaulted a Glendale resident during a robbery attempt earlier that day, police said.

The boy, whose name wasn’t released because he is a minor, was in police custody when forensic investigators on Monday identified him through fingerprints as the same suspect involved in the stabbing and attempted theft of a 21-year-old Glendale man on Saturday, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

He was arrested Saturday afternoon when he allegedly pulled a .357 Colt Python revolver from his waistband while fleeing from detectives who tried to stop him from riding his bicycle on the wrong side of Chevy Chase Drive near the Los Angeles border, according to police reports.

“They are preying upon residents in Glendale and trying to flee our borders thinking that they are safe,” Lorenz said.

The boy, who claimed he had recently joined a Los Angeles-based gang, joined an unknown man and approached the victim while he was sitting in his car about 3:20 a.m. in the parking lot of Starbucks on Central and Acacia avenues, according to police reports. The victim, whose name wasn’t released for fear of retribution, had been using his laptop and the coffee shop’s free Internet service, Lorenz said.

The boy reached into the victim’s open car window and grabbed the laptop, he said. But the victim resisted.

As they struggled over the laptop, the boy punched the victim five to six times on his head, according to police reports.

The second man, who police haven’t identified, reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a knife and stabbed the man on his neck and left shoulder, according to police.

During the struggle, the victim unsuccessfully tried to start his car and close his window.

He immediately drove himself to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he was treated for non-life-threatening stab wounds, Lorenz said.

Last month, police also arrested a reputed gang member at Chevy Chase Park after fighting with officers.

Still, Lorenz said the recent arrests don’t denote an increase in gang activity in the area.

Detectives have been monitoring the gang’s activities along on the Los Angeles and Glendale border, he said.

“Borders mean nothing; we are going to get you,” Lorenz said.

Anyone with details about the robbery and second suspect’s identity may call the Glendale Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS, or Glendale Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Unit at (818) 548-3987.