Alleged Robber Hits Security Guard on Head With Laptop Computer at Pasadena Best Buy, Arrested After Fleeing on Gold Line

Police arrested a man Tuesday after they say he bashed a security guard on the head with a laptop computer while stealing electronics from a Pasadena Best Buy store, then tried to make a getaway via a Metro Gold Line train.

John Glenn Thorne, 30, was booked on suspicion of robbery following the crime, which unfolded at about 3:40 p.m. at the store at 3415 E. Foothill Blvd., according to Pasadena police officials and Los Angeles County booking records. He was described as transient with ties to the Santa Monica area.

Thorne attempted to leave the store with a laptop computer, a Bose portable speaker and two power banks that he had not paid for when a security guard asked him to show a receipt, said Pasadena police Lt. Sean Dawkins.

“Subsequently, he hit the security guard in the head with a laptop,” according to the lieutenant. The security guard complained of pain but did not appear to be seriously injured.

Police said Thorne was seen getting onto an eastbound Metro Gold Line train.

Officers went to the next station along the route in Arcadia where they spotted Thorne walking on the platform, Dawkins said. He was taken into custody without a struggle.

“He still had the stolen merchandise on him,” Dawkins said. The electronics were valued at more than $1,000.

Bail for Thorne was set at $50,000 pending his initial appearance in the Pasadena branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court, which was scheduled for Thursday, records show.