Four street vendors robbed in less than an hour in South Los Angeles

Resident buy from a fruit and vegetable vendor at a gas station in February. Four street vendors were robbed Sunday in South Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)In just under an hour, four street vendors in South Los Angeles were robbed at gunpoint Sunday night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.Although police declined to elaborate on the crimes, the robberies are the latest of what appears to be an increase in crimes against street vendors in the last few months.At 9:46 p.m., three young men in dark hooded sweatshirts robbed a taco stand near 51st Street and Avalon Boulevard, stealing an unknown amount of cash. They may have fled in a gray Honda, according to police.Another robbery occurred two minutes later at Vernon and McKinley avenues, then a third occurred at 10:02 p.m. near 51st Street and Ascot Avenue, where personal property was stolen. The last robbery took place at 10:41 p.m., targeting a vendor truck near 43rd Street and Central Avenue.In all four inc

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Four street vendors robbed in less than an hour in South Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA - February 16: Resident shop at a fruits and vegetables vendor at a gas station where gas prices going up. Gas price went $.10 up after this photo was shot at 3800 Block of West 3rd. Street on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) — Resident buy from a fruit and vegetable vendor at a gas station in February. Four street vendors were robbed Sunday in South Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

In just under an hour, four street vendors in South Los Angeles were robbed at gunpoint Sunday night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Although police declined to elaborate on the crimes, the robberies are the latest of what appears to be an increase in crimes against street vendors in the last few months.

At 9:46 p.m., three young men in dark hooded sweatshirts robbed a taco stand near 51st Street and Avalon Boulevard, stealing an unknown amount of cash. They may have fled in a gray Honda, according to police.

Another robbery occurred two minutes later at Vernon and McKinley avenues, then a third occurred at 10:02 p.m. near 51st Street and Ascot Avenue, where personal property was stolen. The last robbery took place at 10:41 p.m., targeting a vendor truck near 43rd Street and Central Avenue.

In all four incidents, the robbers fit the same description — two Black males and one Latino male, about 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall — and the culprits stole an unknown amount of cash using a weapon. Police are still searching for the robbers, said Rosario Cervantes, an LAPD police spokesperson.

No injuries were reported. Whether the incidents were related is still under investigation, Cervantes said. She added that it is unknown whether the Sunday night robberies are related to the string of taco stand robberies that have been reported in recent months.

Last month, two masked men robbed a taco stand at gunpoint in the Florence neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Employees at the stand said it was the second time their business had been targeted in recent months.

At the end of May, five armed robberies occurred at taco trucks, mostly in South Los Angeles, within a week’s span.

Earlier this year, the LAPD's 77th division tweeted an alert, urging community members to be aware of their surroundings and take extra precautions in light of four armed robberies of taco vendor stands.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.