South Los Angeles taco stands targeted by same armed robbery suspects, police say

Three suspects who robbed four taco stands  in South Los Angeles Sunday night remained at large Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Dept. Workers were reportedly threatened with a gun and cash was stolen, police said.

One robbery occurred about 9:45 p.m. near 51st Street and Avalon Boulevard, according to the LAPD.

A few minutes later, a robbery occurred near Vernon and McKinley avenues. Shortly after that, another happened near 51st Street and Ascot Avenue. At about 10:40 p.m., a fourth robbery took place near 43rd Street and Central Avenue, police said.

The suspects were described as young men about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, who wore blue hooded sweatshirts or jackets. One of them was armed with a handgun, police said. The suspects may have fled in a gray Honda.

No injuries were reported. Cash and at least one phone was stolen, but customers were not targeted, police said. Each of the taco stands reportedly kept serving customers after their respective robberies.

The LAPD was already investigating a series of taco-stand robberies in May and June, in which at least eight businesses were robbed at gunpoint.

One detective investigating the robberies said vendors are targeted routinely because they deal with cash and because they operate late at night in areas that are not well-lit.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.