By Dolores Quintana
Culver City has seen a sharp increase in violent crimes the past few weeks. Starting with a shooting on June 28 in the parking lot of the Culver City Mall, there have also been four armed robberies in this short period. According to the Culver City Police Department, crime has increased in the city between 2021 and 2022 by 90 percent.
The shooting took place at 7:40 p.m. and while there was a report of two suspects shooting with semi-automatic weapons in the mall parking lot. Investigating officers noted that they found cars with bullet holes but they didn’t find any victims or suspects.
On July 3, a 79-year-old woman was grabbed from behind by a suspect who grabbed her from behind, threw her to the ground and had a handgun near Jefferson Boulevard and Indian Wood Road. The suspect stole her cell phone and fanny pack containing her keys and cash. The victims described the suspect as a Black male wearing black clothing and a black mask.
On July 8 at 9;25 a.m., the Subway restaurant at 3817 Sepulveda Blvd was robbed by a Black male with a medium build, wearing a black jacket, black pants and a black ski mask who ordered a sandwich and then demanded money from the cashier and pulling out a black handgun. In fear, the victim did what the suspect asked and handed them between $200 to $300. The suspect fled the scene towards Venice Boulevard.
On July 9, the Rite Aid Pharmacy at 3802 Culver Center called the Culver City Police Department for assistance after an armed robbery at 6:00 a.m. The victim was a Rite Aid employee who told officers that she was approached by the suspect when she stood behind the cash register and had items in his hands. It was then that the suspect produced a black handgun, placed it on the counter, and demanded the cash from the register. The suspect was a Black male with a heavy build in a black jacket, blue jeans and a black hat.
On July 10, Boost Mobile on 4114 Centinela Avenue had an armed takeover robbery on their premises at 2:18 p.m. The suspect was a Black male wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, blue sweatpants, a white mask, and blue surgical gloves. This suspect entered the store and pointed a black semi-automatic weapon at the employees. He then jumped over the counter after ordering the employees to lay on the ground, face down, and grabbed cash from the registers and fled. The suspect dropped his keys in the parking lot and was observed by the police officers when they reviewed the store’s surveillance video. When the police found the keys and the vehicle, they located the suspect, Lawrence Bell of Torrance, who was already on parole for robbery.
Anyone has any information or questions regarding these incident, can contact the Culver City Police Department’s Public Information Officer, Sergeant Brent Arney at 310-253-6313 or the Watch Commander at 310-253-6202.
