A security guard hid inside a downtown Los Angeles cannabis dispensary overnight as suspected burglars rammed the storefront with a car, kicking off a chain of events that ended with three arrests and a second shop just blocks away. Police say they believe the two break-ins are connected, and they have not ruled out a third scene.
The first call came in around 1 a.m. Tuesday, when officers responding to a cannabis store on Imperial Street found suspects allegedly ramming the building with a vehicle, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. A security guard was inside the store at the time and hid rather than confront the intruders, the station reported. When officers arrived, the suspects took off in their car, and a pursuit lasted only about five minutes before it ended with three burglary suspects in custody.
A Second Break-In on Mateo Street
Investigators were also looking into another suspected burglary at a cannabis store on nearby Mateo Street. Officers who responded there did not find any suspects, but the outlet’s report notes they did turn up evidence that a break-in had occurred. Video from that scene showed a shattered glass door, and police now believe the Imperial Street and Mateo Street incidents are connected.
Investigators also raised the possibility of a third scene tied to the same spree, though the station’s report said details on that location remained limited. It is not yet clear what, if anything, was taken from either dispensary, and no detailed description of the suspects beyond their arrest has been released.
Not the First Time for DTLA Dispensaries
Downtown Los Angeles cannabis shops have been targeted before. Earlier reporting from ABC7 Los Angeles described thieves pulling a front gate open with a car at the Green Qween dispensary on Broadway, marking the second time that business had been hit since it opened; the thieves fled before officers arrived, and police never released a detailed suspect description in that case either…