Officers investigating a burglary at a convenience store in North Long Beach early Monday morning ended up seizing three illegal gambling machines from the business following a search for additional suspects, according to a warrant filed in Long Beach Superior Court.
The officers were called to the store in the 6400 block of Cherry Avenue at around 2 a.m. after a woman reported hearing the sound of glass breaking at Prince Market and Deli, according to the warrant.
The woman told officers that she saw three male subjects climbing through the rear window of the building who soon began removing items from the store through the back door, according to the warrant. Upon police arriving at the scene, one suspect that was rolling away an electronic game machine fled the area, leaving the machine behind, according to the warrant.
That’s when a responding officer noticed a sign attached to the top of the machine that read “minimum $5 !!!cash out,” according to the warrant.
“The machine had joysticks and buttons which allow customers to play gambling games on the video screen,” the officer said, according to the warrant. “From my training and experience, I recognize the machine to be an illegal gambling device.”
The owners of the store also responded to the scene and allowed officers to search the premises for additional suspects. Instead, according to the warrant, officers discovered two additional illegal gambling devices located in different areas of the store.
“I believe 6401 Cherry Avenue is an illegal gambling location (AKA slaphouse), where illegal gambling drug sales, possession of firearms and other illegal activities are taking place,” according to the officer who wrote the warrant.
Police eventually seized the three electronic gambling machines from the store along with 10 handwritten receipts as evidence, according to the warrant.
No arrests were made and the investigation is ongoing, according to the warrant.
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