String of crimes leaves Sherman Oaks residents on edge

LOS ANGELES - Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department were investigating a series of crimes committed within a three-block radius in Sherman Oaks that may be connected, officials said. 

An armed robbery occurred at 11 p.m. Tuesday at a liquor store located at the intersection of Kester Avenue and Burbank Boulevard. The suspect got away with an undisclosed amount of cash and was last seen running down Kester Ave, LAPD said. 

Moments later, a woman reported she was confronted by a man on Kester Ave who brandished a knife when attempting to rob her. She was uninjured.

On Monday, a Panorama City man was gunned down in broad daylight. 

The victim, identified as 52-year-old Antonio Rodriguez, was a maintenance worker at an apartment complex located on the 14600 block of Burbank Blvd. Authorities believe Rodriguez was killed during a robbery attempt at the apartment building. 

"I've been here in Sherman Oaks for 20 plus years and I've seen it degrade little by little...to have somebody killed in broad daylight is senseless," a Sherman Oaks resident told FOX 11. 

Detectives were working to determine if the crimes were linked.

The man police believed was behind the crimes was fatally shot by officers Wednesday within the three-block radius on Kester Ave and Burbank Blvd Wednesday, LAPD said. 

RELATED: Police on scene of fatal officer-involved shooting in Sherman Oaks