A South Los Angeles cannabis dispensary was burglarized early Thursday morning, and while the thieves were able to escape with some merchandise, a Los Angeles Police Department patrol car was involved in a crash on its way to the scene.
At Flower & Leaf in the 1500 block of Florence Avenue in the Manchester Square area, surveillance video showed a half-dozen intruders breaking their way into the dispensary at about 5 a.m.
They initially entered a bulletproof-glass-lined chamber, and though they were able to use crowbars to enter the display area, the hole they left was too small to fit boxes of merchandise, the store’s owner told KTLA.
Instead, they had to steal by the handful, and the lost time allowed LAPD officers to surprise the thieves on their way out the door, the owner added.
Police chased the burglars, but Officer Lomeli of the LAPD confirmed that the suspects are not in custody.
Meanwhile, a patrol car on its way to help was involved in a crash with another vehicle, Lomeli confirmed.
The officers were taken to a nearby hospital, but they have since been released, Lomeli said.
Police described their injuries as minor. The driver of the other vehicle was also hospitalized and is in unknown condition.