3 Arrested After Standoff at Market

Hawthorne police Wednesday arrested three masked gunmen on suspicion of attempted robbery after an eight-hour standoff at a local supermarket.

Sgt. Henry Mashack said the last of the three gunmen was apprehended without incident around noon, shortly after SWAT team members ended the standoff at the Boys Market at 11873 Hawthorne Blvd.

Mashack said the incident began about 4:30 a.m., when a Hawthorne resident called police to report that three gunmen, all wearing ski masks, were entering the market armed with handguns and a shotgun.

Officers responding to the call quickly cleared the store of its employees, Mashack said, and arrested two of the three would-be robbers.

But a third man, who fled to the rear of the market, held police at bay for hours, Mashack said. The man was finally taken into custody when SWAT team officers stormed the store, using a incendiary device as a diversion.

Arrested were Claude Sturdizant, 26, of Los Angeles, Brandon Graves, 18, of Santa Monica and Rodney Kelley, 27, of Hawthorne. All three were booked on suspicion of attempted robbery, Mashack said, and may also be booked on suspicion of burglary because the store was not open at the time of the incident.