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Friday, February 24

Del Amo and Lakewood. At 10 p.m., a 6’2” 180 pound Hispanic male wearing a black and blue surgical mask and wielding a gun robbed a gas station of $300 and left on foot, westbound, possibly for the nearest hospital surgical suite. Probably not.

Saturday, February 25

Ocean Boulevard and Cherry Avenue. The police manned a checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., not looking for border crossers, but for those defined as drunk and/or drugged while behind the wheel. They found one, who was tested and arrested. At the same time, seven drivers were cited or arrested for operating a vehicle unlicensed or while license suspended or revoked, though no specificity as to ratio of arrest or citations, and five citations issued for unsafe driving, which can be done with or without a checkpoint.

Sunday, February 26

Belmont Heights. When Latino resident Joe Solis got up, he found the word “Illegal” spray-painted in large dark letters on this side of his bright yellow Volkswagen bus. It was discovered that a second car and a nearby church sign were similarly vandalized.

Del Amo Boulevard and Knoxville Avenue. At 4:20 p.m., cops gave chase to a Chrysler 300Z, which turned south onto Studebaker, down Pioneer Boulevard into Hawaiian Gardens, then back into Long Beach’s Claremore Avenue onto Wardlow Road, where they crashed into another vehicle. They kept going at 80 mph, turned south on Woodruff, where they crashed into a curb, with sparks coming out of the wheel well, slowing them down to about 40. The pursuit came to an end at Willow Street and Gondar Avenue, where police approached three proned-out suspects at gunpoint at 4:30 p.m. Possible narcotics issue.

Southbound Bellflower Boulevard ramp onto the 405. At 4:35 p.m., an adult male was seen sitting on the railing of the ramp. Apparently CSULB police handled the problem.

Monday, February 27

5300 block of Atlantic Avenue. At 7:15 a.m., a man with a gun attempted to hold up a restaurant, but failed in that effort. He then left.

3400 block of Long Beach Boulevard. At 7:30 p.m., about two and a half miles away from the restaurant, a man with a gun held up a convenience store for cash. Later that day, police arrested Manolette Christopher Payne, 49, of Norwalk on suspicion of trying to or actually holding up nine businesses in Long Beach and one in Gardena between Feb. 18-27. It is said that Payne developed a system of entering a business with a handgun, demanding money and running off before officers arrived, police said. He was foiled when a clerk provided a detailed description of the suspect’s vehicle. After getting a search warrant, they also found evidence in his car linking him to the robberies.

These are the locations and dates of the robberies:

200 block W. Willow St. on Feb. 18

3000 block E. Broadway on Feb. 19

1100 block E. Seventh St. on Feb. 19

300 block E. Willow St. on Feb. 20

1600 block W. Artesia Blvd., Gardena, on Feb. 20

3400 block E. Seventh St. on Feb. 21

1100 block Redondo Ave. on Feb. 23

3200 block E. Anaheim St. on Feb. 25

5300 block Atlantic Ave. on Feb. 27

3400 block of Long Beach Blvd. on Feb. 27.

If any of these match a robbery of which you have knowledge, please contact robbery detectives at (562) 570-5731.

Tuesday, February 28

3500 block of Broadway. At 11:20 a.m., a regular customer entered a restaurant and promptly threw a table out onto the street and broke it. Cost might well be added to the check after the pieces are picked up.

Wednesday, March 1

100 block of 48th Street. At 7 p.m., Gabriel Correa, 21, of Long Beach was shot and killed and another man was wounded in a double shooting. The other man was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police are looking for suspects.

Saturday, March 4

Rosie the Riveter Park. This was posted on NextDoor. At 7 a.m., “I was walking Lucy, a sweet Bassett Hound, and she was attacked by two pit bull dogs. The owner is a white male. He let his dogs off leash and had no control over them. There was a petite Asian woman possibly Filipina with this man. She was walking four dogs (two large dogs, a medium sized dog and a small dog). If you know who these people are please let me know. Lucy had to have surgery to repair the damage that the pit bulls inflicted on her. She will recover from the injuries. I also suffered injuries and was treated at the ER in the afternoon.” The poster is actively looking for these two and their dogs and would appreciate any information.

2600 block of Tulane Ave. At 7:15 p.m., whole lotta prowlin’ goin’ on while neighbors observed the fence jumping and fleeing afterward action while involving the cops.

steve@beachcomber.news