Four suspects identified in Home Depot smash-and-grab robbery

Authorities have identified four suspects in a smash-and-grab robbery at a Home Depot in Lakewood on Friday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspects on Sunday as Everett Lestorkindle of Hawthorne, 22; and Los Angeles residents Bronz Jackson, 20; Shawn Jones, 19; and Daniel DeHughes, 19.

Sheriff’s deputies were investigating the robbery after approximately eight people stormed into the Home Depot around 8 p.m. Friday and fled with $400 worth of sledgehammers, bolt cutters, hammers and crowbars, according to authorities.

The four men were arrested early Saturday during a traffic stop by Beverly Hills police. Officers found new tools in the vehicle, possibly from Home Depot, officials said. The traffic stop occurred more than 30 miles from the Lakewood store.

Lestorkindle, Jackson and Jones were being held in lieu of $20,000 bail and are due Tuesday in the Bellflower Courthouse, authorities said. DeHughes was being medically treated before being booked.

Deputies are still searching for several other suspects involved in the robbery, a Sheriff’s Department statement said.

The Home Depot incident was one in a wave of so-called flash mob robberies that happened across L.A. over the last week — several of them on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The Los Angeles Police Department declared a citywide tactical alert on Friday night after a string of robberies in the area early in the evening, including an incident in which at least 10 men robbed a store at 130 S. La Brea Ave., pushed employees to the ground and fled, according to LAPD Officer Mike Lopez.

Earlier in the week, organized groups descended upon luxury retailers — including a Nordstrom at the Grove shopping center and several stores at the Beverly Center in the Beverly Grove neighborhood — and fled with thousands of dollars in merchandise.

Flash mob rings have also hit luxury stores in the San Francisco Bay Area.