Armed Robbery Forces Closure of Nearby Schools

Two gunmen who robbed a Walgreens store in South Gate were arrested today, one of them after he carjacked a vehicle and led police on a brief chase, and the incident prompted the lockdown of four schools as a precaution, police officials said.

Officers responded about 1:40 p.m. to a robbery-in-progress call at the Walgreens at 9830 Long Beach Blvd., near the intersection of Tweedy Boulevard, South Gate police Lt. Edward Perez said.

The suspects -- both wearing ski masks and armed with handguns -- ran out of the store as officers arrived, he said.

One quickly was taken into custody, but the other carjacked a vehicle and led police on a chase that lasted a few minutes before ending in the 10000 block of Wilmington Avenue in Los Angeles, Perez said.

No one in the carjacked vehicle was injured, he said.

Madison Elementary School at 9820 Madison Ave., Montara Elementary School at 10018 Montara Ave., Southeast Middle School at 2560 Tweedy Blvd. and Southeast Senior High School at 2720 Tweedy Blvd., were placed on lockdown about 2:20 p.m., Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Myra Arriaga said.

The lockdowns were lifted around 2:55 p.m. at Montara Elementary School, Southeast Middle School and Southeast Senior High School. The lockdown at Madison Elementary School, which is adjacent to the Walgreens, ended around 3:25 p.m., she said.

Both suspects -- whose names and ages were not immediately available -- will be booked on suspicion of robbery and one also will be booked on suspicion of carjacking, Perez said.

-- City News Service