Woman Is Beaten : Robbers Get $43,000 at Trucking Firm

Two men who apparently knew when to time their robbery walked into a La Habra trucking company office Friday morning just after the owner arrived with a briefcase containing $43,000 in cash, authorities said.

One of the men beat a woman who happened to be visiting the office, then the pair took the money and ran, La Habra police said. Paramedics treated the woman for facial cuts and bruises, but she did not require hospitalization, according to police.

A witness saw the men driving away in a white Honda automobile and took down the license number--658 TYT, police said.

Investigators said a car with that registration had been purchased recently from a dealer in Cerritos. The information has developed “some leads, and we’re focusing in on them,” La Habra Police Sgt. Phil Stufflebean said.

Just Before Noon

The robbery took place just before noon at La Habra Trucking Inc., a firm on East Lambert Road that specializes in cleaning up construction sites.

Police said that because the company’s truck drivers need cash to pay dump fees, the company’s owner, Gloria Rios, 37, of La Habra Heights, occasionally draws large sums in cash from a bank.

She had just returned with $43,000 in denominations ranging from $5 to $100 when the robbers struck, police said.

Rios said in an interview that her friend--Carmen Oliva, 40, of Diamond Bar--was visiting in the office. Rios said she asked Oliva to close the office door, and as she went to do it, the robbers came in.

One Hit Woman

One had a handgun, and the other grabbed Oliva, struck her in the face, pushed her into an adjoining room, closed the door and continued to beat her, Rios said.

Stufflebean said there was no apparent reason for the attack on Oliva, other than “just to show they meant business.”

Rios gave up the briefcase full of money without resistance and the two men left.

Stufflebean said Rios did not recognize either of the robbers, who made no attempt at disguise.