Police Arrest Man in Alleged Purse Robbery

Police arrested a man early Sunday morning in an alleged downtown purse robbery involving a "simulated" weapon.

Fontana resident Justin Tyson was picked up near Ocean Drive and 1st Street within 90 minutes of Sunday's incident and arrested on suspicion of robbery. Tyson is currently on parole for carrying a loaded firearm.

Sunday's alleged street robbery was the second within the last week in the same general area of Highland Avenue. Police are looking into whether both crimes were the work of the same person, despite differing descriptions of the suspects by victims. "Since the M.O. of the suspect in both robberies is similar, detectives are investigating whether the suspect in custody is responsible for both crimes," Manhattan Beach police officer Stephanie Martin said in a news release.

The first robbery occurred at 10:24 p.m. June 2 near Highland Avenue and 11th Street. The suspect approached a woman who was walking with a male friend, grabbed her arm and wrestled her purse from her before running away.

The victims described the suspect as being an almost 6-foot-tall male, approximately 25-30 years old, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and white shorts. The suspect gestured as though he had a handgun, though no weapon was actually seen by either victim, according to Martin.

The second robbery occurred just before 1 a.m. on Sunday near Highland Avenue and 9th Street. A suspect described as a thin man in his 20s, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans, approached a woman waiting for her friends. After asking for a cigarette, the suspect grabbed the woman's purse and ran away.

"Now is a good time to remind our residents and visitors that with the arrival of spring and summer and warmer temperatures ahead, historically crimes like these tend to rise," Martin said in the release. "It is important to be vigilant of one's surroundings and not to increase your chance of being a victim by talking on your cell phone or working on your computer oblivious to people approaching or being in deserted areas.

"Criminals are opportunists, waiting for unlocked vehicles and homes, or finding people alone in dark, less crowded areas for a quick act of thievery. Please do not hesitate to call the police if you see people loitering around with no apparent business."

For a complete list of personal safety tips released by the police department, click here. Anyone with information on the incidents is encouraged to call MBPD Det. Sgt.  Brian Brown at 310-802-5123.