Ten people have fallen victim to what investigators believe is a team of robbers who steal cell phones by luring people online.
The robbery crew coaxes victims into meeting them outside the same restaurant in Hawthorne with the promise that they will buy their cell phones, according to police. Once the victims and robbers meet in person, the thief takes their phone and runs off with it.
"They get their phone from them and he minute they get their hands on it, they’re running," Sgt. Gilbert Sanchez of the Hawthorne Police Department said.
According to Hawthorne police, the thieves made the mistake of keeping the same routine during the robberies. Investigators created a fake advertisement for a cell phone for sale and one person responded and requested they meet at the same location of the other robberies.
After meeting in person for the fake advertisement, police arrested two teenagers, a man and a woman believed to be responsible for the robberies. Authorities said all four live in the area and knew it well.
