LOS ANGELES—An Oakland man who was among five people arrested in connection with a holdup at gunpoint in Beverly Hills was charged June 24 with robbery. Two other young men among the arrests were released due to insufficient evidence, authorities said.
Gangster Lawson, 23, pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree robbery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Lawson is due back at the Airport Courthouse on July 9.
The District Attorney’s Office cited insufficient evidence in declining to file a case against two other 18-year-old Oakland men, Xavier Ford and Nasir Blocker. Jail records show that the two, who were arrested on June 20 by Beverly Hills police, were released from custody on June 24.
The status of any potential case against two teenage boys, ages 16 and 17, was not immediately available.
Beverly Hills police said last week that a city employee notified police after seeing the robbery in the 8600 block of Wilshire Boulevard at about 4:53 p.m. June 20, last Thursday, in which a Rolex watch was taken.
Investigators were able to identify and locate the suspects’ vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over, sparking a short pursuit.
A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) helicopter crew aided in the chase and followed the vehicle into Hollywood, where the suspects exited the car near Afton Place and North El Centro Avenue, according to Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) Lt. Andrew Myers.
“BHPD officers and officers from the LAPD Hollywood Division quickly established a containment. After the search, all five suspects were arrested, and evidence related to the crime was recovered from the vehicle,” Mr. Myers said in a statement.
