Police were searching in Rose Park South for an armed man suspected of robbing a Signal Hill jewelry store Thursday afternoon with two other assailants.

Officers set up a perimeter from Sixth to Seventh streets and Dawson to Junipero avenues and evacuated City at the Cross Elementary School around 4 p.m., LBPD spokeswoman Shaunna Dandoy said. Police later determined the armed suspect was out of the area before they set up the perimeter he is still outstanding, she said.

The three assailants led police on a pursuit at about 2:40 p.m. when Long Beach police spotted the car suspected of being used in the robbery of Signal Hill Jewelry & Novelties. Police attempted to stop the black BMW sedan before the driver failed to yield and police initiated a pursuit, said Sgt. Russell Hefte of the Signal Hill Police Department.

The pursuit, which started near E. 11th Street and Ohio Avenue, ended near Sixth Street and Stanley Avenue, where police took two boys into custody, Dandoy said. A third suspect, a man, fled on foot and he is believed to be armed.

Police used K-9 officers and a police helicopter to assist in searching for the suspect and asked residents to stay away before learning he was outside the perimeter.

The two boys are in the process of being booked for robbery charges, Dandoy said, and the investigation is ongoing.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information from police. 

 

Police evacuate students from the City at the Cross church after pursuing armed robbery suspects on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. Photo by Thomas Cordova.
Long Beach Police secure the scene on Sixth Street and Dawson Avenue after robbery suspects led police on a pursuit Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019.
Photo by Thomas Cordova.

 

Valerie Osier is the Social Media & Newsletter Manager for the Long Beach Post. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ValerieOsier