Three men were arrested on suspicion of committing “follow away” robberies in which they picked their victims and trailed them before stealing their jewelry, Los Angeles police said Oct. 29.
Detectives said they identified the suspects after two such robberies in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, and suspect they could be responsible for many more.
“Investigators believe there are many other victims who have yet to be identified,” the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced in a statement.
Chazon Brown, 28, of Los Angeles; Isaiah Moore, 32, of Fresno; and Nhazel Warren, 19, of Los Angeles were arrested on suspicion of robbing people on Sept. 19 and Oct. 23.
All three were booked for armed robbery and held in lieu of $1 million bail.
Police say the Sept. 19 robbery took place in the 23000 block of Mulholland Drive. The suspects allegedly followed the victim home and confronted him in a parking lot.
According to the LAPD, two suspects punched the victim, knocking him to the ground, then pinned him down and removed his jewelry before fleeing in a black BMW sedan.
In the Oct. 23 incident, a victim was followed to a Ventura Boulevard business by a black BMW sedan, police said. Two rear passengers with handguns allegedly got out of the car, stripped the victim of his jewelry, then fled in the BMW.
Detectives obtained search and arrest warrants on Oct. 24, which resulted in the seizure of evidence, including two semiautomatic pistols. All three suspects were arrested after the search.
When the robberies were committed, Warren was wearing a GPS ankle monitor mandated by the Los Angeles County Probation Pre-Trial Services after two unrelated felony arrests in July and August.
Warren posted bond for a third time on Tuesday and was released, according to LAPD Officer David Cuellar.
“He’s been released. He’s out,” Cuellar told The Epoch Times.
The other two suspects remain in custody, according to Cuellar.
Follow-away robberies have become more frequent in the Los Angeles area in the past few years, after some celebrities were targeted.
In 2021, the LAPD formed a task force specifically dedicated to stop the trend after a 23-year-old man was fatally shot on Nov. 23, 2021, outside a Sunset Boulevard restaurant.
At the time, then-Police Chief Michel Moore said gang violence was an underlying influence.
Police encouraged anyone who believes they may be a victim or has information about the current investigation to contact detectives at 213-486-6480, or email [email protected].
