PLACENTIA : Store Owner Injured in 1 of 2 Robberies

A grocery store owner was shot in the arm Friday during a robbery by three gunmen who may have been responsible for another robbery 2 1/2 hours later, police said.

The gunmen entered La Jolla Market in the 500 block of West La Jolla Street shortly before noon, produced handguns and ordered owner Christian Avila, his 4-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old customer to lie down on the floor, said Placentia police spokeswoman Corinne Loomis.

After the men stuffed an unspecified amount of cash into a bag, one of them fired a round at Avila, 34, striking him in the upper right arm, Loomis said. They then fled south on Placentia Avenue by car, she said.

Avila tried to call 911 from a pay phone, only to find it disconnected. He then struggled to find another pay phone, Loomis said. He was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was listed in stable condition.

At 1:40 p.m., another robbery involving three gunmen was reported at a jewelry and compact disc store in Placentia Plaza, in the 600 block of West Chapman Avenue.

The gunmen ordered owners Manuel and Yolanda Chavez, 48 and 46 respectively, and a customer to lie down on the floor, then stole cash and jewelry from display cases before fleeing in a van, Loomis said. No one was injured in that incident.

That robbery was the second one at Placentia Plaza this week. On Wednesday morning, three gunmen entered a pawnshop, tied up the owner and three customers and took several guns and jewelry.

Police were attempting to determine if the robberies were connected.