After ending in a car-to-car pursuit, Hermosa Beach Police last Thursday morning arrested four men in connection with the carjacking of an SUV belonging to a disc jockey who works at a bar located on the pier plaza.

The four young men – Los Angeles resident Danuyel Bryant, 23; Gardena residents Marcus Ramsey, 23, and Tyrone Ramsey, 24; and William Jones, 22, of Pacoima – were arrested and charged with carjacking, grand theft auto and felony evading of police in the early morning (about 2 or 3 a.m.) of July 29.

According to Press Information Officer Sgt. Paul Wolcott, the four suspects drove a stolen Mercedes-Benz to Hermosa Beach and parked it in a public lot in the downtown area just west of the Bijou building. One of the suspects, Marcus Ramsey, then got out of the car with a handgun.

Ramsey approached the DJ, who was loading his equipment into his SUV after finishing work at Dragon, a nightclub on the south side of the plaza. Ramsey threatened to kill the victim and demanded the keys to the SUV. The victim, fearing for this life, handed them over.

Wolcott would not comment as to why the men carjacked the DJ since it is part of the investigation.

“Usually the motivation is some kind of gain – either monetary or property,” he said.

Officer Michael Frilot, who was patrolling the area during this time, observed the men flee the scene in both the Mercedes-Benz (occupied by Jones, Tyrone Ramsey and Bryant) and the SUV (driven by Ramsey), and began to pursue the Mercedes. Frilot broadcast the chase over the radio while chasing the car that eventually led the officer onto The Strand, which is a long stretch of concrete along the beach used for pedestrians, bikers and in-line skaters.

“(In response to driving on The Strand) Obviously, they don’t care about people’s lives anyway when they are out there robbing them in the middle of the night,” said Wolcott.

Frilot continued to chase the Mercedes south on The Strand toward Pier Avenue and the suspects then drove the car onto the beach just past the municipal pier when at this point Officer Jonathan Sibbald arrived on the scene as backup.

The sand slowed the Mercedes down, and Bryant jumped out of the car and ran into the ocean with Frilot in pursuit on foot. Sibbald held the two other men in the Mercedes at bay. Frilot noticed Bryant throw something into the ocean during the pursuit, which ended once Frilot caught him.

With the details about the crime and pursuit broadcast over the radio, a Manhattan Beach Police sergeant spotted the stolen SUV and a second pursuit ensued once Ramsey failed to yield to the officer. The chase continued east onto Century Boulevard and ended on the street near Denker Avenue where Ramsey was finally arrested. Police found a handgun on the car’s passenger seat. Police transported the victim to the locale where the pursuit ended, and he positively identified Ramsey as the man who threatened his life and stole his car.

Los Angeles County Lifeguards conducted a search of the water where Bryant threw the object into the ocean, but have yet to locate anything.

“Our speculation is that it may have been a gun,” added Wolcott.

All four men were in police custody until their Aug. 2 arraignment at the Torrance Courthouse. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records, Bryant is being held on $20,000 bail, Jones at $75,000 and Tyrone Ramsey at $20,000, all of whom are at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles. Marcus Ramsey’s bail was set at $100,000 and he is currently at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

Police later discovered that the Mercedes-Benz was carjacked in Beverly Hills July 18 and the Beverly Hills Police are interviewing the suspects in connection to this crime.