LOS ANGELES – At least four suspects are in custody after a sheriff’s deputy walked in on them allegedly attempting to rob a convenience store.
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the suspects rushing into the store, located at the intersection of Victoria Street and Avalon Boulevard in Carson, around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
The suspects were seen quickly hopping over the counter while the clerk was still behind the register. Three suspects entered from the front door and one suspect entered from a side door.
According to the clerk, a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department happened to walk in while the attempted robbery was occurring.
Footage shows the deputy quickly pulling out his service weapon and radioing for backup as the suspects, still behind the counter, scramble out of the camera’s frame.
“They came in fast and they pointed the gun at my head,” recalled Swaban, one of two clerks who were held at gunpoint by the robbers.
Sergio Flores, another clerk, recalls the terrifying moment he realized they were being robbed. He dropped to the floor immediately and remembered thinking, “I’m done. Maybe they’re going to shoot me. Everything happened so fast and they were screaming.”
As the deputy entered the store and yelled for the thieves to put their hands up, Flores recalled the relief at hearing the man’s voice.
“When I saw him come in, I realized somebody’s come to save us,” he said.
More backup deputies eventually arrived at the scene and the four suspects were taken into custody.
It is not known if the suspects are connected to a recent string of 7-Eleven robberies in the area.
Dan Lunsford contributed to this report.