STANTON : Burglars Take Guns, Jewelry From Shop

About $30,000 worth of jewelry and handguns was stolen from a pawnshop early Friday, police said.

Burglars broke through the roof of the Beach Boulevard Pawn Shop at 10615 Beach Blvd. at about 3 a.m., said Lt. Bob Rivas, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Police responded to the store’s alarm within a minute, but the suspects, apparently youths, had already escaped through the back door, Rivas said.

In their haste, the robbers left three rifles and nine shotguns wrapped in a blanket outside the shop, he said.

“When it involves handguns, it’s always a concern,” Rivas said.

Pawnshop co-owner Don Luce said he was not sure how much merchandise was stolen, but that several .22-caliber handguns were among the missing items. Luce said some jewelry and a hand-held video game were also taken.

“They walked by a gold coin and took a Game Boy, if that tells you something,” Luce said. “Didn’t touch TVs, didn’t touch camcorders, just took kid stuff.”