Police are searching for two armed men who robbed a taco stand in the Florence neighborhood of South Los Angeles Wednesday night.
The robbery occurred around 10:30 p.m. near the intersection of East Manchester and Towne avenues.
Responding officers confirmed that a robbery had occurred and that they were searching for two suspects.
The suspects were described as two male Hispanics who were in their 20s and stood about 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
Both robbers were armed with guns, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed.
One suspect was wearing all black, according to police.
The second suspect was wearing a blue sweater and black pants.
Oscar Lozano was working at the stand when he saw the two suspects come out of a nearby van.
“It happened so fast … the guys were in a rush … they left with so little,” Lozano said.
The men first tried to rob a female coworker who didn’t have any money on her, Lozano said.
That’s when they pointed a gun at him and took the $50 to $100 he had on him.
“I’m not going to lose my life over some money,” Lozano said.
The suspects were last seen running on Manchester Avenue.
Authorities said there have been seven similar incidents reported since May 1.
“Within the last couple of months, we’ve seen an uptick in vendor-related robberies,” LAPD Det. Norman Peters told KTLA. “They generally occur later at night. They’re easy targets because they are vulnerable victims.”
Though it’s unclear if the crimes are related, police believe it’s not just one person targeting street vendors, rather a group of four or five.
No arrests have been made in any of the cases.
