Employees barricaded themselves inside of The Yogurt Shoppe Wednesday, Nov.12, after being frightened by a mentally distressed transient who was acting aggressive and strangely, according to witness accounts.
The incident occurred at 873 Swarthmore Avenue at about 8:30 p.m.
The man, described as a black man with a slender build and white beard proceeded to come around the counter toward The Yogurt Shoppes employees, forcing them to barricade themselves in the store’s office while he attempted to force the door open, said Mitch Burmeister.
Within minutes the perpetrator had been apprehended and absolutely nothing was done, due to the fact that he did not “physically harm or steal anything,” he said.
But the ordeal wasn’t over, the man returned within minutes after police finished interviewing witnesses. As a result, The Yogurt Shoppe employees immediately locked themselves inside the shop again, and again called the LAPD and Palisades Patrol, he said.
After returning to the scene a second time, the officers informed the store’s owner they could not make the arrest, Burmeister said.
Police said by citing him there was a possibility the transient would not show up on his court day, and that a warrant would likely be issued for his arrest, Burmeister said.
“This is the same man who has tormented other local businesses as well as being witnessed stripping off his clothes entirely in public view,” he told the Palisadian-Post in an email. “We now have two innocent teenage girls who are now afraid this man is going to show up again and attack them.”
The incident did not appear in LAPD’s weekly crime report. Police authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.
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