Seal Beach police say a 20-year-old, an 18-year-old and three minors were arrested Tuesday after they stole beer from a liquor store and then mugged two more victims.
The crimes began around 2 p.m. when the five suspects took two cases of beer from Bay Liquor on Pacific Coast Highway and then drove off in a Honda Odyssey, police said.
Police said they couldn’t immediately find the van, but about an hour later, two people reported being robbed about a mile away near Sixth Street and Central Avenue.
“The two victims informed dispatch that five male suspects had robbed them at gunpoint, taking two wallets, two cell phones, a pair of earbuds, and one of the victim’s car keys,” according to a news release from the Seal Beach Police Department.
Police said they soon spotted the getaway vehicle at First Street and Pacific Coast Highway where they pulled it over, sending three of the five suspects running toward the nearby San Gabriel River bike path.
With help from a police helicopter and K9, officers arrested all of them and found a gun stashed in the nearby bushes, according to Seal Beach police.