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# Armed robbery at Pico Boulevard UNOCAL and a parolee's arrest for beer theft
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/crimewatch-20021108/
- Published: 2002-11-08T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:52:51.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Pico, #archive-import

*Gas station in Pico robbed*

*By Daily Press staff*

At 5:05 p.m., a man entered the UNOCAL in the 1900 block of Pico Boulevard and ordered a pack of cigarettes. He struck up a conversation with the employee, then pulled out a handgun and demanded the money from the cash register.

The employee handed over the cash, and the suspect dashed out the front door and jumped into a waiting vehicle. A second man drove the getaway car.

The man with the gun is described as male, 20 years old, six feet tall, 200 pounds and was wearing a black sweatshirt and dark pants.

The driver is a black man in his 20s.

The getaway car is a mid-1990s, white Ford Taurus.

The loss is an undetermined amount of money.

Santa Monica police arrested Norman Vancooper after watching him allegedly try to steal a beer on Oct. 22.

At 12:25 p.m., the victim was in a parking lot in the 1700 block of Pico Boulevard drinking a beer he just bought. Vancooper walked over and threatened to punch the victim if he didn’t hand over the beer.

A Santa Monica police officer was cruising past, witnessed the event and gave chase to Vancooper.

Vancooper, a 45-year-old resident of Santa Monica, was arrested for strong-arm robbery and parole violation.

A woman was robbed in the private parking structure at the 500 block of Santa Monica Boulevard on Oct. 21.

The woman was exiting her car at 5:45 a.m. when a man approached her and demanded money. She handed over her cash, and the suspect took off on foot.

The assailant is described as a black male, in his mid to late 20s, five feet and eight inches tall, 180 pounds and was wearing a red ski cap and gray sweatshirt.

With any information regarding these crimes, call the Santa Monica Police Department’s robbery/homicide unit at (310) 458-8451.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 8, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110802.pdf?ref=smdp.com)