Four Jailed in Strong-Arm Robbery

Four Los Angeles residents were arrested Friday in connection with a $14,000 strong-arm robbery of a businessman in what Fountain Valley police called a carefully orchestrated crime.

Police said the Fountain Valley merchant, whom they wouldn’t identify, was on his way to make a deposit at his bank. He was driving north on Brookhurst Street when a tire went flat near his bank at Slater Avenue.

He pulled into the bank’s parking lot, police said, and got out with the bag of money. A woman approached and pointed out that he had a flat tire, police said, while at the same time, three men drove up, jumped out of their car and grabbed the bag from the man. The woman and the men got back in the car and sped away.

Witnesses followed the car and got a license plate number. Police soon spotted the car and stopped it near Brookhurst and Heil Avenue, but the four occupants fled on foot. Police eventually arrested all of them.

Police identified the suspects as Atancio Gomez, 33; Javier Lombana, 23; Sandra Torres, 26; and Pedro Sfarraz, 37, all of Los Angeles. They were booked on suspicion of robbery and held in the Orange County Jail.

The robbery victim was not injured, and the money was recovered, police said.

Police believe the businessman had been under surveillance for some time because the robbers appeared to know his routine.