Strong Arm Robbery Arrests
May 31, 2022 9:38 PM
Santa Monica, CA –On May 30, 2022, at about 2:30 PM, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers responded to a radio call of a robbery in the area of 3rd & Strand Street. The caller reported a male subject took the victims 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. The suspect vehicle failed to yield, and a short pursuit was initiated. The suspect vehicle collided into an unoccupied parked car in the 2300 block of 14th Street. The driver, later identified as Roderick Thompson, exited the vehicle and was immediately taken into custody. 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. A perimeter was established, and Thompson was taken into custody without incident.
SMPD Officers located the victim’s belongings inside the suspect vehicle. Officers also learned from the victim that during the commission of the crime, Montgomery pushed the victim’s baby stroller with her 4-month-old inside it. The infant was not hurt.
The suspects were transported to the SMPD Jail and booked for the following:
• Suspect 1: Lavonte Anthony Montgomery a 32-year-old male of Los Angeles was booked for Robbery, Delaying Arrest, Reckless Driving / Evading, Child Cruelty and Parole Violation
• Suspect 2: Roderick Germell Thompson a 35-year-old male of Los Angeles was booked for Robbery, Delaying Arrest, and Reckless Driving / Evading.
Anyone with any additional information pertaining to this incident is strongly encouraged to Contact Detective Nicole Murphy at Nicole.murphy@santamonica.gov or 310-458-8941 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8426.
Media Contact
Rudy Flores
Captain
Rudy.Flores@SMGOV.NET