2 Men Assault Couple, Escape With $4,000

Two men armed with semiautomatic handguns and knives terrorized a couple in a room at the Airporter Inn Hotel in Irvine on Saturday, sexually assaulting the woman and slashing the man before leaving with an estimated $4,000 in checks and jewelry.

Police said the couple were waiting for a woman friend at about 1:30 a.m. but when she arrived, the two robbers, who were wearing masks, followed her into the room.

Officers said the man, 23, and the woman, 31, were bound with tape and were assaulted after the robbers became angry with the amount of money they were given. The robbers took $3,000 in traveler’s checks and about $1,000 in jewelry, police said.

Police withheld the names of the victims. Both were taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where the woman was treated and released. The cuts on the man’s chest did not require treatment, police said.