Gunmen Hold Up Supermarket in Buena Park; 2 Suspects Arrested

Two masked gunmen held Albertson’s employees and customers captive Monday while they took at least $2,800 from the store’s safe. Police caught one suspect trying to get away and another later turned himself in, authorities said.

Kelly Jay Parker, 23, of Fullerton was arrested after a one-block chase from the supermarket at 7511 Orangethorpe Ave., Sgt. Terry Branum said.

Mark Timothy Neville, 22, a former Albertson’s employee living in Yorba Linda, heard that officers were looking for him in connection with the robbery and showed up at the police station about 1:30 p.m., Branum said.

Both men were booked on suspicion of kidnaping with attempt to commit armed robbery and were being held on bail of $50,000 each, police said.

A worker, Raul Hernandez, was emptying trash shortly after midnight in the back of Albertson’s when two men wearing ski masks and carrying shotguns forced him to the ground and handcuffed him, Branum said.

The robbers then took him and four others hostage, including two customers of the 24-hour market, and forced them to lie down in a walk-in freezer while they made the night manager, John Etheridge, open the safe, officers said.

Jeff Carmichael, a clerk who happened to walk out of a small office, saw what was happening and telephoned for help, Branum said. Police arrived as the gunmen were running out the back door.

Officers found the two shotguns, ski masks and the $2,800 taken from the safe when they arrested Parker, police said.

No one was hurt during the holdup, Branum said.

A store spokesman from its headquarters in Idaho declined to comment about the incident, saying it is company policy not to release any personnel information to protect its employees.