By Mary O’KEEFE

A juvenile was arrested on Monday after he refused to follow instructions from a deputy, according to Lt. Sauter, Los Angeles Sheriff Dept. – Crescenta Valley Station.

The incident began when several LASD patrol units responded to a silent alarm call at Citibank in the 2600 block of Foothill Blvd. on Monday afternoon after 3 p.m. Deputies had locked down the bank and surrounding area as part of their investigation into the possible bank robbery.

According to a witness, Rosemont Middle School students were “everywhere” as they headed from the school to Ralphs Marketplace.

The witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had found herself caught in the middle of the lockdown when she was driving her vehicle from the marketplace to Rosemont Avenue. She was concerned that so many students were walking in the area close to the bank. She had heard the deputies tell the students to keep out of the area; however, there were so many and, in her opinion, the area had not been clearly cordoned off.

“I looked away for a minute and when I turned back I saw that a deputy had a [juvenile] against the wall and the [juvenile’s] face against the wall,” she said.

“While deputies were handling those calls (concerning the possible bank robbery) for service, a juvenile was not cooperating with commands,” Sauter said.

The juvenile was making it impossible for the deputies to do their job, he added. “During the arrest force was used.”

The arrest of the juvenile prompted several of the Rosemont students to yell at the officers in defense of the juvenile.

Another witness who was inside the bank when the incident happened said the bank customers and employees inside were calm but outside the middle school kids were “mobbing” the bank. She attributes the “over-reaction” and “group excitement” as contributing to the escalation of the situation.

Capt. Bill Song, CV Sheriff’s Station, has reached out to Rosemont Middle School. The incident is under investigation.

  Mary Okeefe