Long Beach man arrested in connection with boardwalk robbery

A Long Beach man allegedly involved in the assault and robbery of a man who was jogging on the boardwalk in September was arrested Oct. 7.

Long Beach Police arrested 16-year-old Shawn Persaud, of Long Beach, last Friday and charged him with second-degree robbery.

According to police, on Sept. 17, a jogger was on the boardwalk by Long Beach Boulevard when he was approached by a group of young men.

The jogger, police said, was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. The men proceeded to attack the jogger, and a cell phone and a small amount of cash was stolen. Police said the victim suffered injuries as a result.

Detective Lt. James Canner, Commanding Officer of the Long Beach Police Department's Detective Division, said in a statement that the detectives and Street Crimes Unit were "relentless" in investigating the matter and that after the incident occurred, uniformed patrol units were increased on the boardwalk.

"The arrest of Mr. Persaud was the culmination of a concentrated effort by the Long Beach Police Department's Detective Division," Canner said last week. "We are continuing our investigation and more arrests are expected."

On Sept. 19, a second robbery on the boardwalk was reported. According to police, a man jogging along the east 400 block of the boardwalk on Sept. 19 was attacked by a group of about five young men at about 10:44 p.m. Police said the men surrounded the victim and then kicked and punched him, resulting in abrasions to his knees and elbow. The group stole the man's iPod and iPhone, and the victim, who was not named, was later taken to an area hospital. As a result of the attack, the victim suffered an eye injury, police said.

"There were two incidents," Deputy Inspector Bruce Meyer said last week.

Following the arrest of Persaud, seven additional arrests made by Long Beach police were announced on Tuesday. Police confirmed Thursday in a press release that the arrests were in connection with the Sept. 17 and 19 robberies. Those arrested include:

Jaquell McNeal, 17, of Cambria Heights, was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree robbery and second-degree gang assault at Ocean Beach Park on Oct. 10.