Two armed robbery suspects were barricaded inside of Pier 1 Imports at 1800 Rosecrans Ave. in Manhattan Beach for about three hours on Sunday, until they were arrested at around 10:20 p.m. When police were called to the scene at around 7:04 p.m., the suspects were still inside the store.
Police set up a quick perimeter so that the suspects couldn’t exit the store without being contacted, after which Pier 1 employees exited the store, said Manhattan Beach Lieutenant Andy Harrod. The store was closing at 7 p.m.
There were no hostages or injuries, Harrod said. Witnesses told the police that the suspects were armed. Crisis negotiators were communicating with the suspects by using a cell phone to call them inside the store. “We eventually convinced them to come out and surrender to the officers outside,” Harrod said.
Harrod did not know what kind of weapons the suspects were carrying or what they were intending to steal. The investigation is ongoing.
The arrests were a collaborative effort between Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Hawthorne police departments, Gardena SWAT and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The two male suspects are currently in custody and were transported to the Manhattan Beach Police Department for booking.
