Lavonte Anthony Montgomery and Roderick Germell Thompson arrested in connection to May 30 incident
By Sam Catanzaro
Santa Monica police arrested two suspects wanted in connection to the broad daylight robbery of a mother pushing her infant in a stroller. During the course of the robbery, one of the suspects pushed the victim’s baby stroller with her 4-month-old inside it.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on May 30 around 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a radio call of a robbery in the area of 3rd Street and Strand Street. The caller reported a male subject took the victim’s purse by force, then entered a nearby Ford Explorer and fled the scene. The caller gave dispatch the suspect vehicle’s last known direction of travel.
While responding to the call, SMPD Officers located the suspect vehicle, occupied by two subjects.
According to the SMPD, the suspect vehicle failed to yield, and a short pursuit was initiated. During the pursuit, the suspect’s vehicle collided into an unoccupied parked car on the 2300 block of 14th Street. The driver, later identified as Roderick Thompson, exited the vehicle and was immediately taken into custody, police say. The passenger, later identified as Lavonte Montgomery, ran from the vehicle, and entered the backyard of a residence in the 1300 block of Pine Street. SMPD officers established a perimeter, and Thompson was taken into custody without incident.
Following the arrests, the SMPD located the victim’s belongings inside the suspect vehicle.
In addition, officers also learned from the victim that during the crime, Montgomery pushed the victim’s baby stroller with her four-month-old inside it. The infant was not hurt in the incident, according to the SMPD.
Lavonte Anthony Montgomery, a 32-year-old male of Los Angeles, was booked for robbery, delaying arrest, reckless driving, child cruelty and parole violation.
Roderick Germell Thompson, a 35-year-old male of Los Angeles, was booked for robbery, delaying arrest and reckless driving.
