2 Gunmen Killed in Attempted Holdup at West L.A. Jewelry Store

Two robbers, at least one armed with an automatic weapon, were shot and killed Monday evening in a fierce gun battle during an attempted holdup at a West Los Angeles jewelry store, police said.

Lt. Ronald Hall said the two unidentified men were killed when they attempted to hold up the Watch Co. in the 12100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. Hall said police were seeking two other suspects who fled.

Reports indicated that the two men were killed by the store manager and another employee. The manager, whose name was not released, was shot several times. He was in serious condition at UCLA Medical Center.

“I saw the (manager) in the store calling police with a gun in his hand and bleeding from his shoulder,” said Victor Gonzalez, a clerk at a nearby video store. “He was waving the gun around nervously. He was panicked.”

Police received a call at 7:10 p.m. that a robbery was in progress and during the call shots were heard over the telephone, according to Hall. He said at least half a dozen shots were fired and reported that “there were guns all over the place” inside the store.

It was not immediately determined whether anything was taken in the robbery. “There were several cases smashed and the store was in disarray,” Hall said.