Four male suspects have been arrested and charged in a series of armed robberies in the South Bay, police said Wednesday.
According to the El Segundo Police Department, the suspects, two of whom are 18 years old and two of whom are 17, were arrested July 26 for allegedly robbing donut shops in the El Segundo and South Bay areas.
They were charged Monday with multiple counts, including suspicion of robbery, felony evading, possession of a ghost gun and possession of stolen property, with additional charges pending, police said.
The 18-year-olds were identified as Markhi Toles and Joshua Charles, both of Los Angeles. The minors were not identified.
El Segundo police detectives, along with allied agencies, were able to follow several leads with the assistance of surveillance and discovered that the suspects responsible for the robberies in El Segundo and were also responsible for committing various armed robberies in cities within the region, police said.
Further surveillance led authorities to locate a vehicle presumed to be occupied by the suspects. Authorities attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the motorist allegedly failed to stop, prompting a police pursuit.
According to the police department, additional resources from the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Riverside Police Department were requested during the pursuit, and the four suspects were arrested.
Following the arrests, detectives executed a search warrant at the suspects’ residences and allegedly discovered multiple replica handguns, ski masks, stolen lottery tickets and a stolen vehicle that connected the four suspects to the robberies, police said.
Investigators believe there might be additional crime victims involving the four suspects and are actively following up on potential additional evidence and suspects.
Anyone with information regarding the armed robberies or the suspects was urged to contact Detective Anthony Sanchez at 310-524-2263 or asanchez@elsegundo.org.