CANOGA PARK : Gunmen Seize Cash, Jewelry From Store
Five gunmen took over a jewelry store at a Canoga Park shopping center Thursday and seized about $100,000 in cash, jewelry and loose gems within two minutes, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The robbers brandished their guns at about five employees and customers at the Ben Bridge Jeweler store at Topanga Plaza shopping mall at 11:25 a.m., said Detective Bud Mehringer. One of the gunmen ordered an employee to hand over money from a cash register and the store’s manager was also ordered to open a safe.
Nobody was injured, Mehringer said.
The gunmen seized money, jewelry and diamonds from the safe and watches from a display case, Mehringer said. One employee was ordered to hand over her personal jewelry.
The robbers fled in a van that was discovered later at a nearby location. The van had been reported stolen from the Hawthorne area, Mehringer said. The exact amount of cash and jewelry taken in the robbery was not determined, but authorities estimated the loss at more than $100,000.
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