Los Angeles man sentenced for BevMo! robbery spree of over $14K and freeway foot pursuit

A South Los Angeles man has been sentenced to over nine years for a 10-day long robbery spree that ended in a high-speed crash and freeway foot pursuit, officials announced Thursday.

The Department of Justice says Anthony Flores, 28, also known by the alias “BabyGfar,” and other co-conspirators stole about $14,143 total from BevMo! stores in Southern California.

In May 2023, Flores and others robbed two BevMo! stores in Long Beach and Lakewood and escaped with high-end liquor that was stored behind security glass. They also threatened employees with violence during the robberies, officials said.

At the Long Beach BevMo! store, Flores stole around $2,604 worth of liquor, and at the Lakewood store, he escaped with around $800 worth of liquor.

The crew then sold the stolen liquor to buyers on Instagram.

The DOJ reports the group also conspired to rob other stores in West Covina and Pasadena, and on June 5, 2023, attempted to rob a BevMo! store in Canyon Country. 

In the last robbery attempt, officials say Flores and co-defendant Ivin Kitu Sanford, 32, formerly of South Los Angeles but now a resident of Las Vegas, subdued a store employee and attempted to steal high-end bottles of liquor. 

The two fled in a stolen Dodge Charger with a stolen license plate, and when officers tried pulling them over, they refused to yield, leading authorities on a pursuit.

The car chase ended when Flores and Sanford crashed into a tree, but then they got out and ran on foot across six lanes of the 14 Freeway during rush hour traffic.

Officials say Flores and Sanford were later found in bushes in a remote area and arrested.

At the same July trial, Sanford was found guilty of one count of Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January, where officials say he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

On Thursday, Nov. 7, Flores was sentenced to 110 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $10,439 in restitution for one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, according to the DOJ.

“This defendant’s careless disregard for the law put lives at risk,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Today’s sentence highlights that my office – through the Operation Safe Cities initiative – will make sure that violent criminals face real consequences. The public deserves no less.”