Pier 1 Suspects Did Not 'Barricade' Themselves Inside the Store

Media used the term "barricaded" frequently when describing what the two men suspected of attempting to rob a Pier 1 Imports store did while holding the store manager hostage and after they released the individual Sunday night in Manhattan Beach.

However, Manhattan Beach Police Officer and the department's Public Information Officer Stephanie Martin confirmed for Manhattan Beach Patch that the suspects did not barricade themselves in the store while trying to elude capture by police.

Martin said that the two men entered the store's rear door by alerting store staff through means typically used by customers who are picking up their purchase at the back of the store. When the store manager responded to the rear door, the two men showed a gun and a knife and demanded money, she said.

According to Martin, the commotion was enough to send store staff and customers out the front door, and the first 9-1-1 call came in from Trader Joe's, nearby in the shopping center. Martin wasn't sure if that call was made by a Pier 1 employee or a Trader Joe's staffer. 

9-1-1 dispatchers called Pier 1 and were able to ascertain that something was indeed amiss at the location.

Manhattan Beach patrol officers responded, some of whom have collateral duty as Special Weapons And Tactics members. As other police departments arrived to assist, MBPD's crisis negotiation team, part of the city's SWAT team, made several calls and had several conversations with the two suspects inside the store.

Martin said that MBPD responded "as quickly as possible" and "as safely as possible" to the initial call, surrounding the building and securing a perimeter very quickly.

MBPD SWAT crisis negotiators have "special expertise and additional training" to talk with individuals who are suspects in such cases, she noted. The two men surrendered peacefully about three hours or so after entering the store.