10-Day Robbery Spree That Ended In Dramatic Chase, Crash Lands LA Man In Prison

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles man whose 10-day robbery spree led to a dramatic freeway chase culminating in a crash and sprint across six lanes of rush-hour traffic was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison Thursday.

Ivin Kitu Sanford, 33, was convicted in July of interference with commerce by robbery, known as a federal Hobbs Act crime. He was sentenced Thursday to two years and seven months in federal prison. His co-defendant, Anthony Flores a.k.a. “BabyGfar”, 28, of Los Angeles was also convicted of the same offense and sentenced in November to more than nine years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In May 2023, Sanford and Flores robbed two BevMo stores in Long Beach and Lakewood, stealing high-end liquor stored behind security glass and, in some instances, threatening employees with violence.

They then sold the liquor on Instagram. The Long Beach haul was vaulted at more than $2,600, while they stole $800 in product from the Lakewood store, prosecutors said.

The defendants also conspired to rob two other BevMo stores located in Pasadena and West Covina, prosecutors alleged.

The following month, the pair robbed a Canyon Country BevMo store by physically subduing a store employee and making off with high-end bottles of liquor. They drove away in a stolen Dodge Charger with a stolen license plate and tried to evade police during a traffic stop, prosecutors said.

Sanford and Flores led police on a chase through Los Angeles County before crashing into a tree on the 14 Freeway during rush hour. Officers later found the two men hiding among bushes in a remote area, prosecutors said.

The case against a third suspect, Jacob Hardgraves, 27, of Los Angeles is still pending and is not currently set for trial.

City News Service contributed to this report.