A group of thieves targeted numerous taco stands across the South Bay including Gardena on the evening of Friday, November 15. Three separate taco stand workers were pistol whipped in the face as four businesses were robbed.
One of the workers, from a stand in Torrance, was taken to hospital for his wounds. According to a CBS report, “three to four people walked up to a taco stand where he was working in the city of Torrance, near Torrance Boulevard and Denker Avenue, around 11:40 p.m. and demanded cash, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. They fired a single gunshot into the air, police said, before taking off with some cash from the business and driving away in a dark-colored vehicle with no license plate and tinted windows. It was the first in a string of four robberies that night.”
The other robberies took place within an hour of the Torrance incident, and the suspects remained at large the following morning. Police say that they were mail, wearing black clothing and with their faces disguised by black coverings.
According to the report, “The second taco stand they robbed was in the Harbor Gateway South area, near 190th Street and Normandie Avenue, police said. They went up to the business at about 11:52 p.m., police said, pistol-whipping another worker in the face before stealing cash from the business and fleeing the scene.”
The Gardena robbery took place at a stand near 182nd Street and Western Avenue, where they got away with cash. The fourth and final taco stand robbed was in Torrance, according to police.
The worker at that final location was also pistol whipped, and his injuries were treated at the scene.
Police remain on the lookout for information.
