Keegan Allen, the actor known for his role on Pretty Little Liars, said he was struck in the head and robbed at gunpoint and knifepoint outside a West Hollywood grocery store on Thursday, according to The Guardian. In an Instagram video, the 37-year-old appeared with blood running down the left side of his face and neck as he described being confronted by two masked men.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed it is investigating a robbery that matches the weapons, location and time Allen described, The Guardian reports. The department said its major crimes bureau is handling the case.
Why it matters
The attack drew wide attention not only because of Allen's profile but because of where it happened. The robbery took place outside Laurel Supply, an upscale grocery store on the 8400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, an area of West Hollywood that is heavily trafficked and well covered by surveillance cameras. The Guardian notes that the department's own account of the incident aligns closely with Allen's public description, giving investigators a rare combination of victim testimony and recorded footage.
Allen's post also pushed the case into a broader debate over public safety in Los Angeles. The New York Post reported that Allen criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after the robbery. In his Instagram post, Allen called for West Hollywood officials to make use of Flock Safety license plate cameras to help identify the men who attacked him.
What Allen said and what the video shows
In the video, Allen walks through what appears to be a parking lot and recounts the encounter, saying two men hit him in the head, pointed a gun at him and held a knife, then fled. He repeatedly mentioned that his watch was taken, according to The Guardian.
At one point in the clip, Allen asks someone nearby to call the police. The video also includes surveillance footage showing two men — one armed with a knife, the other with a gun — confronting Allen near the rear passenger side of an open pickup truck. In the footage, Allen appears to unclasp a watch from his wrist, and the man holding the pistol strikes him in the head twice. Allen then crouches, covers his head, waves his hands and backs away as the armed man swings at him again. The two attackers then run off.
In a caption on the post, Allen wrote that the attackers threatened to kill him over his watch. In a reply to his own video, he said he was "def concussed and at hospital," according to The Guardian.
The sheriff's account
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released its own statement on Friday, describing the incident without naming Allen. According to that statement, the robbers demanded a watch and a bracelet from the victim while holding a knife and a gun. One of them then struck the victim in the head with the pistol, leaving a cut on his forehead, before the two fled in a car with the watch, The Guardian reports.
The department said first responders treated the victim at the scene but did not transport him to a hospital. It asked anyone with information about possible suspects to contact its West Hollywood station.
The camera question
Allen's call for Flock Safety license plate cameras lands in the middle of an ongoing local argument. The Guardian notes that many cities have recently stopped using the cameras over concerns about misuse and privacy. West Hollywood's city council voted narrowly to continue using them, with new safeguards attached, according to reporting by the Beverly Press & Park Labrea News cited by The Guardian in July.
The technology, which reads license plates and logs vehicle movements, has become a flashpoint in debates over how much surveillance cities should deploy. Supporters argue it helps solve crimes quickly; critics point to privacy risks and the potential for misuse. In this case, no arrests have been announced, and it is not clear whether any such cameras captured the attackers' vehicle.
Reaction and Allen's career
Fellow performers and local figures responded to Allen's post. Singer Gavin DeGraw, who was hospitalized after being attacked in New York City in 2011, replied to the video, according to The Guardian. West Hollywood city council candidate Kyle Brazeal also responded, calling the attack unacceptable and offering sympathy.
Allen played Toby Cavanaugh across all seven seasons of Pretty Little Liars, which ran from 2010 to 2017. He later appeared in Walker from 2021 to 2024 and made a guest appearance in February on The Rookie, the Nathan Fillion series.
The sheriff's department has not announced any arrests or named any suspects. Its major crimes bureau continues to investigate, and anyone with information is being asked to contact the West Hollywood station.
