Beverly Hills Police made five arrests after a brazen armed robbery last week, where suspects got away with a victim’s Rolex which was later recovered after the arrests.
The armed robbery took place at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday outside several businesses on the 8600 block of Wilshire Boulevard.
Cell phone video shared widely on Instagram shows one person grabbing the man’s Rolex, while another man pointed a gun at the owner of the watch.
A city employee witnessed the crime and alerted police. Beverly Hills PD then attempted to pull the suspect’s car over which started a brief chase that ended in Hollywood.
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Police arrested a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old, two 18-year-olds, and a 23-year-old. They are facing charges ranging from Robbery to Assault with a Firearm.
Police said they received help from security cameras and their Real-Time Watch Center, as well as from LAPD’s Hollywood Division.
Deep Sethi, the owner of Bombay Palace on Wilshire Boulevard, said he was not surprised by the robbery and recalled recently witnessing another theft on Rodeo Drive.
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“FedEx guy is bringing the package out and two guys come in and just take the packages away, in front of everybody, around 3 o'clock in the afternoon,” said Sethi.
The restaurant owner said he believes criminals have become emboldened because laws are too lenient.
“This has become the new normal and it’s a pity that this beautiful great state of California, especially Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, has been ruined and the politicians seem to be thinking it’s a new normal,” Sethi said. “Across the street, we own the other business which is we’ve made it into a membership only because we don’t want people to come in as we had a huge robbery last year.”
