Sentencing due in BevMo robbery spree that ended in chase, crash, dash across 6 freeway lanes

A Los Angeles man who committed a string of robberies in a 10-day span that ended in a freeway chase before crashing a stolen car into a tree and then running across six lanes of highway traffic during rush hour faces sentencing Thursday.

Ivin Kitu Sanford, 33, was convicted in July 2024 after a three-day trial in downtown Los Angeles of interference with commerce by robbery — known as a federal Hobbs Act crime.

His co-defendant, Anthony Flores, 28, of Los Angeles was also convicted of the Hobbs Act offense and sentenced in November to more than nine years in prison.

Beginning 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, the jury found.

The men would then sell the liquor on Instagram.

At the Long Beach store, Flores stole more than $2,600 worth of liquor and at the Lakewood store, he escaped with around $800 worth of liquor, according to federal prosecutors.

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

In June 2023, the pair attempted to rob a Canyon Country BevMo store. The men physically subdued a store employee and attempted to steal high-end bottles of liquor. The defendants then drove away in a stolen silver Dodge Charger with a stolen license plate and tried to evade officers during a traffic stop.

Sanford and Flores led law enforcement on a chase through Los Angeles County before crashing into a tree. After the crash, they ran across the 14 Freeway during rush hour. Officers later found the two men hiding among bushes in a remote area.

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