VIDEO: Armed gunman robs Boost Mobile in Culver City in broad daylight
CULVER CITY, Calif. - Wild surveillance video captured the moment an armed gunman robbed a Culver City Boost Mobile store in broad daylight over the weekend.
It happened Sunday around 2:18 p.m. at the store located at 4114 Centinela Avenue.
According to police, the suspect - 37-year-old Lawrence Bell of Torrance - went inside the store and pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at two store employees. He's then seen in the video jumping over the counter and forcing both employees to lay face-down while he raids the cash register.
The suspect stole around $500 before running away from the scene.
According to officials, the suspect's getaway car was located about a block away after he apparently dropped a set of car keys at the crime scene. The suspect's clothes, cash stolen from Boost Mobile, and other evidence was found in the backseat.
Bell was located a short time later in the area and arrested for armed robbery. Police said Bell is currently on parole for robbery and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the robbery.
This is the third armed robbery reported in Culver City in recent days. At 6 a.m. Saturday, a suspect at a Rite Aid store at 3802 Culver Center, approached the employee at the register with multiple items in his hands, then pulled out a black handgun, placed it on the counter and demanded cash, according to Culver City police.
A day before that, aound 9:25 Friday morning, a suspect entered a Subway restaurant at 3817 Sepulveda Blvd. He was wearing a black ski mask and ordered a sandwich, an employee told police. After receiving the food, he pulled out a black handgun and demanded a bag be filled with cash, which was done. He left the store and ran northbound on Sepulveda toward Venice Boulevard, police said.
City News Service contributed to this report.