Investigation underway after video shows woman robbed at gunpoint inside Downtown LA parking structure
Authorities are investigating yet another brazen robbery that took place in the middle of the day, after surveillance footage shows a man robbing a woman at gunpoint.
The incident occurred at around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning inside the St. Vincent Jewelry Center public parking garage on S. Broadway, where the suspect is said to have followed the victim to the elevators.
The footage from inside of the parking garage shows the man pointing a gun in the woman's direction, demanding her valuables. According to a witness at the scene, he told her to "be quiet" as he took the victim's belongings.
While jarring, people who live and work in the area aren't exactly surprised by the incident.
"It's not surprising to hear that it happened," said Chris Lucas, who works nearby. "That's another reason too, why we lock up so early. It gets bad as soon as the sun's going down around 5, 6, 7."
The jewelry center's management system has increased security measures as a result, employing armed guards and utilizing dozens of security cameras in hopes of keeping clientele and employees safe.
"I think people need money, they're thinking it's an easy way to grab jewelry, and then go ahead and sell it and make some money out of it," said Nejdeh Avedian, a general manager at the jewelry center who said he's definitely noticed an uptick in robberies. "Because of the camera systems that we have and the quick thinking of our security guards, we're able to download the information to the police department."
A manager at the jewelry center was able to capture footage of the suspect's face and the vehicle he was in, which was turned over to authorities in hopes that it would aid in their investigation.
Shortly afterwards, police reported that they had located the suspect, though were unavailable to comment on the ongoing investigation.
