Two suspects accused of robbing an off-duty police officer in Long Beach last month have been arrested, the Long Beach Police Department said Monday.
The robbery happened around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12, in a residential area near Bixby Road and Orange Avenue. Police said two suspects approached the off-duty officer and robbed him at gunpoint while a third suspect waited in a getaway vehicle.
As the suspects ran away, the off-duty officer fired his weapon toward them, according to police. The officer was not injured in the robbery.
Nearly a month after the robbery, two of the suspects, including a teenager, were arrested in Los Angeles. Mellaki Hanzome Easter, 22, of Los Angeles, and the 16-year-old suspect were booked into Long Beach City Jail last week on two counts of robbery and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
Bail for Easter was set at $100,000, while the teenager was held without bail, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Police said the Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT team worked with Long Beach investigators to serve search warrants before the two suspects were taken into custody.
Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact Homicide Detectives Hutchinson or Valenzuela at (562) 570-7244.