Carjacking

A 16-year-old girl was able to escape with her 6-month-old niece Tuesday after a man ordered her out of a parked Nissan at knife point, police said. The 40-year-old man, who police did not immediately identify, led Glendale police on a brief pursuit that included a jaunt on the Golden State (5) Freeway after he hopped into the Nissan Quest in the 1700 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard and took off. He was arrested after patrol officers, with the assistance of a police helicopter, were able to track him down and pull him over.

A 23-year-old man was arrested on New Year's Day by Bell Gardens police after allegedly carjacking a car from a Burbank woman and later parking it between two police cars, officials said. At about 9 a.m. Sunday, a man approached a 52-year-old Burbank woman at a car wash in the 500 block of North Victory Boulevard and demanded the keys to her 2012 blue Dodge Neon, Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. The suspect simulated a weapon of some sort in his jacket pocket, Ryburn said.

Amber Willard SOUTHWEST GLENDALE -- Glendale Police are investigating a carjacking in which a man left his car running and found two men in it when he returned. The man stopped at a friend's house about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 500 block of Ivy Street to get an item he had forgotten and left his car running outside, police said. When the man came back to his car, two men were sitting inside it and one of them threatened to shoot him if he did not back away, according to police reports.

Alecia Foster A man tried to commit a carjacking in the parking lot of a doughnut shop but failed after the car would not start. The man tried to take a 1993 white BMW from the parking lot of Foster's Doughnuts on 1137 E. Colorado Boulevard. The owner of the BMW told police he was standing in the parking lot when a silver Nissan Maxima with tinted windows pulled up. A man got out and after asking whether the store was open, pulled out a gun and asked for the BMW, according to a report.

Amber Willard SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- Glendale Police are searching for two men who ordered a man and woman out of their car at gunpoint. The couple were sitting in a Ford Expedition shortly after 10:30 p.m. Thursday in the 1100 block of East Palmer Avenue when the carjacking occurred, police said. A man with a handgun approached the driver's side of the SUV, where the male victim was sitting, and pressed the gun against his head, according to police reports.

Amber Willard DOWNTOWN -- Glendale Police were searching Monday for two men who carjacked and robbed a man in an alley. The victim told police he was walking to his car at 2:15 a.m. Saturday in an alley near 300 block of North Brand Boulevard when a man grabbed him from behind. The man pushed the victim against a van and demanded the keys to his Mercedes Benz, police said. The robber handed the keys to another man and then took the victim's wallet, cell phone and watch, according to police reports.

Darleene Barrientos Several accidents and a carjacking kept police and firefighters busy over the weekend. Two Los Angeles women were arrested Sunday after allegedly brandishing a butcher knife at a motorist to get his keys, according to Glendale Police. The names of the two women, 18 and 19, were not released, Sgt. Dave Higgins said. The carjacking occurred at 9:15 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Ralphs supermarket, 1416 E. Colorado St. Los Angeles.

GLENDALE — Two men and two boys were charged Wednesday with allegedly carjacking a motorist at gunpoint and engaging in a three-day crime spree that spanned from the city to Tujunga, police said. The four were taken into custody Sunday night following a pursuit through the city, Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday charged Nicolas Ventura Jr., 18, of Lakeview Terrace and Sergio Rodriguez, 20, of Sylmar with five counts of robbery, one count of carjacking, one count of attempted carjacking and one count of evading a police officer, which is a felony.

Janine Marnien A 7-Eleven clerk was held hostage for several hours early Tuesday after two men being pursued by Los Angeles Police tried to escape officers by going into the store, officials said. Eric Zamora, 26, and Domineque Bara, 18, held the clerk at gunpoint with a shotgun and threatened to kill him while LAPD SWAT officers tried to negotiate with them, LAPD Sgt. John Pasquariello said. "A gunshot went off from within, and at that point the SWAT team burst in and took the suspects into custody," he said.

A 19-year-old Arcadia man pleaded not guilty Monday to carjacking a La Crescenta motorist and then crashing the Fiat into a light pole. Trevon Lofton was charged with a felony count of carjacking and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and having a blood alcohol level higher than the legal .08 limit, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. Lofton was dancing in a Montrose intersection last Thursday, when he approached the Fiat, yelled profanity and challenged the 42-year-old motorist to a fight, according to Glendale police reports.

Glendale police are seeking information on a carjacking at Fremont Park last week in which a BMW was stolen at gunpoint from a woman and her two friends. The 21-year-old woman's 2003 silver BMW was recovered a day after the carjacking on Wednesday in Huntington Park, where police engaged a pursuit with the robbery suspects, described as three men and a woman, according to Glendale Police Department reports. Huntington Park police chased the suspects, who eventually got away, police said.

Two men got away with a woman's Honda Accord and purse after they carjacked her Thursday outside a department store on Verdugo Boulevard, police said. The carjacking occurred about noon in the Marshall's parking lot on the 2000 block of North Verdugo Boulevard, Glendale police officials said. The men allegedly approached the woman and used force to steal her Honda. They also grabbed her Coach purse, police said. Her Honda was last seen traveling north on Verdugo Boulevard, heading toward the Glendale (2)

A couple was arrested Sunday after they allegedly lied about being carjacked to avoid being investigated for fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run collision, police said. Glendale police said Amarah Hernandez, 19, of San Clemente waited eight minutes before calling police at 10:30 p.m. about two gang members allegedly forcing her out of her car in front of her boyfriend's home on the 600 block of East Cypress Street. Hernandez was sobbing as she told her story, and then her 23-year-old boyfriend, Michael Sandman, also began to report his version of the incident to officers, police said.

Authorities are looking for help with identifying an alleged carjacker who is responsible for more than a dozen thefts and robberies in Glendale, Burbank and the Los Angeles region. The man, who police have dubbed the “Opportunistic bandit,” allegedly started targeting lone women April 14, physically assaulting them before taking their purses and sometimes their vehicles, Los Angeles Police Department detectives said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Intimidation is a big part of this,” said Glendale Police Sgt. Jeff Newton, who is working on the robbery investigation.

A 38-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he carjacked a 16-year-old girl at knifepoint on Tuesday in Glendale, officials said. Andre Khanyan faces two felony counts of second-degree robbery and carjacking for the incident on the 1700 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court complaint. He also faces a special allegation of personal use of a weapon during the robbery. He allegedly approached the girl as she sat in the passenger seat of a Nissan minivan at about 1:35 p.m., opened the door, pointed a knife and yelled “get out” several times, according to police reports.

A 38-year-old man who allegedly carjacked a minivan from a 16-year-old girl at knifepoint on Tuesday is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Andre Khanyan, who is being held without bail, allegedly told police he used heroin four hours before the carjacking, according to Glendale police reports. The girl was seated in the passenger seat of a Nissan minivan at about 1:35 p.m. on the 1700 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard and listening to music while the key was in the ignition, according to police.

A 16-year-old girl was able to escape with her 6-month-old niece Tuesday after a man ordered her out of a parked Nissan at knife point, police said. The 40-year-old man, who police did not immediately identify, led Glendale police on a brief pursuit that included a jaunt on the Golden State (5) Freeway after he hopped into the Nissan Quest in the 1700 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard and took off. He was arrested after patrol officers, with the assistance of a police helicopter, were able to track him down and pull him over.

This story has been updated. A woman was barely able to escape with her baby today after a man ordered her out of a car at knife point and stole it, leading Glendale police on a brief pursuit before being arrested. [Udpated 2:32 p.m.: Glendale police now say it was a 16-year-old girl was ordered out of the passenger seat of the parked Nissan, and she managed to grab her 6-month-old niece before the man drove off. ] The carjacking occurred shortly before 1:40 p.m. in the 1700 block of West Glenoaks Boulevard and it was not immediately clear if the woman and the baby were harmed, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

A 23-year-old man was arrested on New Year's Day by Bell Gardens police after allegedly carjacking a car from a Burbank woman and later parking it between two police cars, officials said. At about 9 a.m. Sunday, a man approached a 52-year-old Burbank woman at a car wash in the 500 block of North Victory Boulevard and demanded the keys to her 2012 blue Dodge Neon, Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. The suspect simulated a weapon of some sort in his jacket pocket, Ryburn said.