Man arrested after evading police, forcing evacuations

DOWNTOWN — A man suspected of robbing a pregnant cashier at gunpoint managed to evade police in a getaway car and on foot for several hours Monday before he was finally caught hiding in a stairwell at the Americana at Brand.

The man, who police did not immediately identify, and two accomplices led Burbank police on a high speed car chase Monday after he allegedly robbed a liquor store on North Glenoaks Boulevard at gunpoint.

The pursuit ended when the car crashed on Colorado Street near a side entrance to the Americana at Brand. Despite being hit by a police patrol car, the man fled on foot across the Americana green and into the multi-story parking garage, where he managed to evade dozens of officers for about two hours.

The two accomplices, described as a man and a woman, were arrested at the scene of the car crash.

Glendale and Burbank police set up a perimeter around the mall and closed several streets to traffic as SWAT and canine teams tracked the man to a stairwell in the parking structure.

“They picked up his scent right where he jumped out of the car,” Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Burbank Police chased the car after the suspect allegedly robbed the GlenMar Liquor store in Burbank at gunpoint. The man may be responsible for a series of recent armed robberies in Burbank, police said, including a robbery at GlenMar on Jan. 22. If he is linked to the robberies, about four or five of them in the last two weeks, he could face 10 to 15 years per charge, police said.

At minimum, he will be charged with armed robbery and evading police, Burbank Police Sgt. Robert Quesada said.

Lody Abdulnour, owner of GlenMar Liquor on North Glenoaks Boulevard, said she was able to warn the cashier from a back office after seeing the man act suspiciously on a security camera outside the store.

The man, described by police as being 18 to 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall with shoulder length curly hair, walked in, pulled out a gun and demanded cash and cigarettes, Abdulnour said.

The cashier, who is seven months pregnant, complied, she said.

“Thank God no one was hurt,” Abdulnour said.

Police arrived as the suspects were fleeing Glenmar, which set off a high-speed chase through North Hollywood and Burbank that eventually ended at the Americana.

Video footage from news helicopters showed the man, who was wearing a white T-shirt and gray slacks, cutting across the Americana green and into the multi-story parking garage. At the time, police thought he was armed.

He was arrested without a weapon, but police said they would continue searching the area for evidence.

Joyce Cuaresma was having lunch at Katsuya with a friend when she saw him run by, she said.

“He ran right past us. It went by really quick,” Cuaresma said.

She and other customers were locked in the restaurant for about an hour before police said they could safely leave.

“It ruined my day basically,” said Tatyana Melnyk, who was having lunch at Frida when the lockdown happened. “No one can say how long until we can get our car.”