Police Catch Man Believed to Behind Long Beach, Torrance Armed Robberies

A 22-year-old man suspected of wielding a gun during robberies of electronics stores in Long Beach and Torrance was facing felony charges today, authorities said.

Thomas Lewis of Torrance is due to be arraigned July 24, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The charges stem from a Jan. 24 robbery of an electronics store in the 1400 block of West Willow Street in Long Beach and a Feb. 28 robbery of another Long Beach electronics store, this one in the 300 block of East Anaheim Street, according to Long Beach Police Department.

In both cases, the suspect entered the businesses armed with a handgun and demanded money from the cashier, police said.

Detectives already believed the same suspect was involved in each crime when, on March 21, another armed robbery happened at a Torrance electronics store, according to Long Beach police.

Investigators identified Lewis as the suspect in all three robberies and detectives learned he already was in the Los Angeles County Jail in connection with a March 31 robbery in Lynwood, police said.

On June 17, detectives served a search warrant at Lewis' home and located evidence believed to be connected to the Long Beach robberies, Long Beach police said.

Lewis was charged on Wednesday with five felony counts of second-degree robbery. His arraignment, originally scheduled for today, was continued, according to the district attorney's office.

He was being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of $400,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's online jail records.

--City News Service