Pretty Little Liars star Keegan Allen was robbed at gunpoint outside a luxury Hollywood grocery store, and he says West Hollywood is no longer safe under California’s leaders.
Two masked men in black stopped the 37-year-old actor on the street outside the high-end Laurel Supply market, struck him, pointed a gun and a knife at him, and stole his watch before fleeing. Allen was left bloodied and bruised after the Thursday night ambush in West Hollywood.
He posted almost immediately, named Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his frustration over crime cameras, and said the attack proved the area is not safe anymore. The robbery has put fresh pressure on city and state leaders already facing heat over street crime in Southern California.
The attack unfolded around 9:05 p.m. on Oct. 8 in the 8400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, Fox News reported, drawing on a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office account. Allen was at the luxury grocery outlet and appeared to be loading items into his truck when the pair approached.
Sheriff’s officials said one suspect pointed a silver handgun while the other held a knife and demanded the actor’s watch and bracelet. The gunman struck Allen in the face with the handgun. He suffered a laceration to his forehead. The suspects then fled in a vehicle.
"One suspect pointed a silver handgun at the victim while the other pointed a knife and demanded the victim’s watch and bracelet,"
the sheriff’s office said, according to that reporting. Allen later shared graphic video of blood running down his face and described himself as “def concussed.”
Breitbart reported that Page Six described Allen as bloodied and bruised after the masked men threatened to kill him while grabbing his watch, with security footage said to show the approach as he put items into his truck. Allen wrote that he would be “OK” and said he would update fans soon.
Accounts differ slightly on hospital care. Some reporting said he went for treatment after the sidewalk attack; Fox News said Los Angeles County Fire evaluated him on scene and that he was not taken to a hospital. No arrests have been announced.
Moments after the robbery, Allen went to Instagram and described the assault in blunt terms.
"These two dudes hit me in the head and pointed a gun at me with a knife and then took off,"
he wrote. He added that the men wore masks and took his watch.
"They had masks on and took my watch. They took my watch. D***it."
In a follow-up comment he turned directly to the politicians who have sold high-tech surveillance as a crime solution. Flock cameras are automated license-plate readers cities install to track vehicles; Allen questioned whether they deliver real safety.
"Will update more soon. Let’s hope all these flock cameras that (Karen Bass), (Gavin Newsom) and everyone thinks will stop crime can find these very dangerous criminals. God bless,"
he posted. He also stated, “West Hollywood is not safe anymore.”
That is not a pundit’s line. It is a working actor, bloodied outside a luxury store, telling millions of followers that the neighborhood where he shops no longer feels secure.
The New York Post reported that Bass’s office condemned the attack while noting the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is leading the investigation.
“This is egregious, no one should have to experience something like this,”
Bass’s office told The California Post. Strong words after the fact do not recover a stolen watch or erase a forehead gash. They also do not answer Allen’s point about cameras that officials promote while residents still get jumped at grocery stores.
Allen is best known for his long run on the hit series Pretty Little Liars. Fame did not protect him on a Thursday night in West Hollywood. Two men in masks needed only a gun, a knife, and a few seconds. Taxpayers fund the cameras, the mayor’s office, and the governor’s crime messaging. The actor still left the parking lot bleeding.
California leaders keep promising technology and talking points. Victims keep posting bloodied selfies. Until the people who actually rob store customers at gunpoint face real consequences, flock cameras and press statements will not make West Hollywood safe, and Keegan Allen already said it out loud.