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LAPD: Truck Driver Robbing Evening Walkers, Joggers In West LA Neighborhoods Of Their Phones At Gunpoint

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Police are warning residents in the West Los Angeles area to be on alert after a rash of robberies of men and women who were walking or jogging alone at night.

LAPD detectives say they have "recognized a pattern of robberies" over the past month in neighborhoods including Mar Vista, West Adams, Picfair Village, Westchester, Mid-Wilshire, Carthay Circle, Beverly Grove, Fairfax, Crestview, Faircrest Heights and Palms. The property taken during the robberies has mostly been cell phones.

Night jogger alone
(Photo by Marianna Massey/Corbis via Getty Images)

In each incident, the person who was robbed had been walking or jogging alone between 8 p.m. and midnight, a time frame that is now fully dark as the end of daylight saving time approaches. The suspect has been described only as driving a gray truck and being armed with a handgun. Police say he has fired gunshots in at least two of the incidents.

Residents in the area were urged to not walk alone at night, try to stay in well-lit areas and be alert to the surroundings and people in the area. Police say people should be careful when being asked for directions by replying from a distance and avoiding getting too close to cars. Pedestrians who feel as if they're being followed should walk to an area with more people around.

The LAPD further advised that people should not resist being robbed: "Give up your property, don't give up your life."

Anyone with information about the robberies can contact LAPD detectives Marsden or Matsuda at (213) 486-6840.

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