SANTA MARIA - When the call for help came in about an armed robbery just down East Cook Street from police headquarters, Santa Maria Police responded in force.
"We saw cops everywhere, I said why are these cops out here, right there, right here", says East Cook Street resident Dorise Kenney says she and her neighbors were surprised to see police everywhere, with guns drawn and the 500 block of East Cook closed off to traffic
"Last night they were just questioning everybody", says resident Melanie Lopez.
Lopez says police knocked on everyone's door after a call came in about an armed robbery on the street at about 7:30 Wednesday night.
Police say a man in his 20's used a gun to steal a delivery of medical marijuana to someone living in the area.
The armed robbery happened right down Cook Street from Santa Maria Police headquarters and has some residents in the neighborhood wondering how the gunman could know there would be a delivery of medical marijuana at the exact time it happened, without some inside knowledge.
"That's kind of weird", says Melanie Lopez, "I don't know what that's all about."
Central Coast News reached out to the medical marijuana delivery company named in the police report, the Central Coast-based Go Green Compassionate Care Collective.
A woman on the phone declined to answer questions about what happened. nor would she reveal where the company is based, saying its security concern.
Fortunately for residents on East Cook Street, noone was hurt in the armed robbery Wednesday night.
"Its kind of scary because I was actually going to walk to the store last night", says Melanie Lopez.
"This area is getting very bad, been here 22 years and we've seen a lot of stuff going on over here on this side of town", adds Dorise Kenney, "folks moved over here and they're bringing their crowd with them and its not fair."
