Officers reported seeing what appeared to be a firearm magazine inside the vehicle
Santa Monica police officers used specialized resources to quickly locate a vehicle wanted in an armed robbery in Whittier, leading to the arrest of the driver without incident on the evening of June 22.
Officers, aided by the department’s SMART Center, spotted the vehicle near Pico Boulevard and Main Street. K9 Norton and his handler located it within minutes and followed it as backup arrived. The vehicle stopped in the area of Ocean Park Boulevard and Main Street, where officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop due to information that the suspects might be armed.
The driver, identified as George Jeremiah Romero, was taken into custody without incident. Officers reported seeing what appeared to be a firearm magazine inside the vehicle.
Whittier police responded to the scene and took custody of both Romero and the vehicle as part of their ongoing investigation.
