Three suspects who allegedly committed an armed takeover robbery at a medical marijuana dispensary in West Hollywood on Nov. 26 were arrested in Lancaster after sheriff’s officials reportedly tracked them using GPS software in cell phones they stole.

Three armed suspects robbed the Farmacy medical marijuana dispensary, and stole an undisclosed amount of the drug, cash and the victim’s cell phones. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A fourth suspect was taken into custody at the residence but was not charged in relation to the crime, according to Lt. Lawrence Del Mese with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station.

The three suspects allegedly involved in the hold-up all pleaded not guilty on Nov. 29 to robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment. They were identified as Derrick Devon Jones, 30, of Los Angeles; Willie David Johnson, 35, of Lancaster; and Terrence Terrill Brown, 29, of Compton. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Dec. 13 in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to Shiara Davila-Morales, with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The robbery occurred around 8 p.m. at The Farmacy, located at 7825 Santa Monica Blvd. The three suspects reportedly entered the location and closed the front door, and one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and ordered the six employees present to lie on the ground. The suspects then ordered the manager to open a safe, and the trio stole an undisclosed amount of cash, several containers of marijuana, and the victim’s cell phones. The suspects fled the dispensary, and no injuries occurred.

Authorities from West Hollywood tracked the suspects to a residence in Lancaster, where they were detained by deputies from the department’s Lancaster Station. The victims later identified the three suspects in a line-up, and they were taken back to West Hollywood and booked for robbery and kidnapping. Deputies located property stolen during the hold-up, approximately $2,000 to $3,000 in cash, as well as the gun.

The incident was the second within a 10-day period where police in the local area used cell phone technology to track down wanted suspects. On Nov. 17, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Division located a suspect in a street robbery near Sierra Bonita and Rosewood Avenue by using a tracking application on the victim’s iPhone.

Anyone with information about the West Hollywood robbery is asked to call the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310)855-8850.