Authorities are looking for two suspects who they said pulled a pizza delivery driver out of a car in La Cañada Flintridge and stole his money and other belongings.
The strong-arm robbery took place about 9:20 p.m. Friday in the 1100 block of Descanso Drive, said Sgt. Alan Chu, a detective at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station. The man went to the location to deliver pizza from a store in the 700 block of Foothill Boulevard, Chu said.
The driver had made the delivery to a home when two men wearing hooded sweatshirts approached him and “forcefully” pulled him out the car, Chu said.
“One placed his hand under his sweater, simulating a possible gun, and demanded his stuff,” Chu said. The driver, in fear for his life, handed over his belongings.
The alleged robbers stole cash, an Apple iPhone 7 and the victim’s driver’s license and wallet, Chu said.
Both suspects ran away, heading east on Descanso Drive. Helicopters were sent to locate the suspects, but they could not be found.
In an incident report released Wednesday by the Sheriff’s Department, the victim said he could not identify the robbers’ faces because the hooded sweatshirts covered them. He gave up his possessions without looking at the suspects because he was afraid he might be shot, according to the statement. Afterward, he drove to a nearby location and called authorities.
A deputy was unable to enter the victim’s stolen cellphone number into an automated service that might list it as stolen because the victim didn’t have a serial number for the phone.
The crime is listed as a robbery, though not an armed robbery, because it is not clear that a weapon was used, Chu said.
“For this area, it’s kind of odd and unusual,” Chu said. “There was no car seen. With no car, that’s kind of unusual. A burglary or robbery can happen in minutes before we get the call and they could be on the freeway. There’s a lot of delay, typically, in reporting crimes.”
Lt. Mark Slater, interim captain at the Crescenta Valley Station, said earlier Wednesday his department was trying to determine what happened but asked for patience in the community.
“We want to completely rule out everything,” Slater said. “Facts will come out and it is what it is. Crimes aren’t solved in a half-hour. Sometimes it takes months. Sometimes it takes only a couple of days.”
Pair Robs Pizza Deliveryman on Descanso Drive
