LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles man was charged last week in the series of robberies of street vendors and food trucks. Prosecutors say three men drove to six locations, drawing guns and demanding cash over a two-hour span. Police believe the incidents could be related to a wave of robberies of street vendors across the area. LA Times reporter Daniel Miller joined Lisa McRee on “LA Times Today” with the latest.
Miller described the robbery spree.
“There are some common traits to these robberies stretching back to May. They’re armed robberies with the thieves waving guns in the faces of terrified workers. They usually come around closing time when there’s a lot of cash in the register. This is also late at night, sometimes after midnight. One in the morning. These workers are basically forced to hand over their day’s proceeds,” he said.
The robberies have left street vendors shaken long after the incident.
“We connected with different vendors, some of whom have said they’re contemplating getting out of the business. Some of them have said this has led to depression and not wanting to leave the bed in the morning. So this is really affecting people. I think that for Angelenos, it’s a moment when there’s a sense of wanting to come together to support many of these workers. At the same time, it’s really scary to get a sense of how much crime is unfolding at these trucks and stands,” Miller shared.
A pair of activists has been providing security for vendors free of charge to try to keep them safe.
“They wear bulletproof vests and they make the rounds in South LA and elsewhere, just checking in to see if everything’s OK, to see if there’s been suspicious individuals around. Another thing they’ve done is start a WhatsApp group chat for many of the South LA vendors where they can report crime, they can report suspicious activity. And in talking to some of the vendors, there’s a sense that this feels a little bit of a safety net,” Miller said.
Miller said the LAPD has seemingly made these robberies a priority.
“The case has been assigned to the Robbery Homicide Division, which is widely known as RHD. And RHD takes on serial robberies. They don’t take on a random smash and grabs. They take on crimes that are somewhat sophisticated and are happening in a serial fashion. So we have a sense that because RHD is involved, this is a priority for the LAPD,” he explained.
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