The victims of the armed robberies were unharmed; however, the perpetrators are reported to have taken the victims' purses, phones, cash, and other belongings. MBPD is actively investigating the crimes.

Typically, when there is a threat to public safety, in this case a pattern of armed robberies, the city communicates a warning to the community as soon as possible through various social media tools including Alert South Bay, lnstagram, and Facebook.

"Unfortunately, in this instance, that did not occur," read a statement released by the city. "These incidents were not communicated to the public nor the City Council in a timely manner."

(The incidents, however, were reported in MBPD's Weekly Crime Summary, a report that comes out after the week is over.)

"We did not communicate these two incidents properly, which is not acceptable," said MBPD Police Chief Rachel Johnson in a statement. "The responsibility for communication begins and ends with me and I take full responsibility for our lapse. I am grateful that the guns were not used and that the victims escaped physical harm that evening."

Johnson said that she is currently evaluating MBPD's policies to ensure that transparent and timely information is provided to the community as quickly as possible when an incident occurs.

"MBPD takes pride in being a transparent department that respects the importance of sharing as much information with Manhattan Beach residents as possible," said Johnson. "We have learned from these incidents and will make sure our practices improve, beginning today."

Montgomery, Johnson Initiate Plan

In response to these incidents, Mayor Richard Montgomery held a meeting with Johnson to develop a revised plan to improve communication and information dissemination to the public when crimes and other relevant incidents occur in Manhattan Beach.

Additionally, Mayor Montgomery discussed the issue with community members during his "Coffee with the Mayor" on June 27. He also consulted with fellow City Council members and the city manager to address measures aimed at preventing similar problems in the future.

"Any lapse in communication is unacceptable, especially in matters of public safety. As mayor, I am embarrassed and disappointed by this communication lapse," said Montgomery in a statement. "I, along with the city manager, take responsibility for the communication failures in this incident, and we are determined to improve our procedures to deliver better outcomes in the future, ensuring that MBPD remains the top police department in the South Bay."

MB News reached out to the mayor following the release of Friday's statement.