2 men arrested in robbery of PlayStation 3 consoles

The pair, both of Lakewood, are accused of posing as customers and pepper spraying the would-be seller when they met in La Palma.

LA PALMA –Two Lakewood men have been arrested on suspicion of pepper spraying a man and stealing two PlayStation 3 consoles during a late-night rendezvous outside a La Palma McDonald's today.

The victim, whose name was not released, agreed to meet the men about 1:30 a.m. at the McDonald's on Orangethorpe Avenue and Moody Street to sell them the game systems, La Palma police Sgt. Raul Morales said.

Before any money was exchanged, one man pepper sprayed the would-be seller and the pair took off with the consoles, Morales said.

The attackers arranged to meet their victim at the McDonald's after answering his ad on the Internet.

"The victim felt uncomfortable about meeting them there, but he did it anyway," Morales said.

Detectives tracked Eric Hwang, 18, to his Lakewood home and arrested him after they found the stolen consoles inside his home.

Less than an hour later, detectives arrested Joonhan Andrew Choi, 18, of Lakewood. Choi and Hwang are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.

The highly anticipated PS3s, which were released in very limited quantities on Thursday, retail for about $600. The seller, who lives in Los Angeles, was asking $5,000 for both units.

The release of the PlayStation 3 consoles, which promise the best video-game visuals on the planet, prompted hundreds of people to wait in lines for days and led to armed robberies and a rash of fights across the country. A 21-year-old Connecticut man was shot while waiting in line to buy one of the consoles Thursday.

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