Deputies Walk In On Armed Robbery In South El Monte

SOUTH EL MONTE (CBSLA) – A group of deputies grabbing a cup of coffee from an El Monte store walked in on an armed robbery in progress overnight Thursday.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the three deputies entered an unnamed store in the 9800 block of Rush Street at 1:24 a.m. Friday to find a Hispanic man, later identified as 27-year-old Geovanny Sandoval, arguing with the clerk.

The deputies saw the clerk place his hands in the air and saw the butt of a gun sticking out of a bag in the suspect's hands. Deputies then ordered Sandoval to the ground and took him into custody at gunpoint, the sheriff's department said. No one was hurt.

The deputies also recognized Sandoval as matching the suspect description of a prior armed robbery. LASD did not disclose the details of that incident.

Sandoval was arrested on charges of robbery, carrying a concealed firearm and possession of a short-barreled shotgun. He was booked on $100,000 bail.

Surveillance video of the robbery was not immediately released.