Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach police officers nabbed a North Carolina man on Wednesday after he allegedly robbed a West End gas station at gunpoint and led officers on a late-night chase through a West Market Street neighborhood.
The incident occurred on Jan. 5, when police said Jayshawn Magee, 22, of Charlotte, North Carolina, wore a mask when he entered the Mobil gas station at 390 West Park Ave. at 12:45 a.m. and allegedly pulled a gun on the night clerk.
During the robbery, Deputy Inspector Bruce Meyer of the Long Beach Police Department said, the suspect demanded money and the clerk provided an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect also reached over the counter and took more money from the register.
Police said the clerk, who was not injured, immediately contacted police.
Long Beach police officers Bonnie Gerth and Judy Arroyo were on the scene in less than a minute, Meyer said, and observed a suspect that matched the description provided by the clerk. The suspect fled after the officers, who quickly gave chase, spotted him, said Meyer.
“Everything happened very quickly,” said Meyer. “Officer Gerth exited the vehicle and gave chase on foot. Officer Arroyo remained in the vehicle and pursued the suspect in the vehicle.”
The suspect fled into the rear yards of homes along the 200 block of West Market Street, police said. Gerth and Arroyo were joined by 10 other Long Beach police officers and secured a perimeter of the area as they searched for Magee.
Magee was found and arrested, and the mask, handgun as well as the money taken during the robbery were recovered, Meyer said. No injuries were reported, Meyer said.
“This is another fine example how the response time of the Long Beach Police Department and our professional police officers are second to none,” Police Commissioner Thomas Sofield Sr. said in a statement.
Magee was charged with first-degree robbery and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said. He was also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana, said police.
