2 Men, Liquor Store Target of Holdups

A man armed with a handgun robbed two other men and tried to hold up a liquor store, all within a 15-minute time span in Ventura, police said Wednesday.

The first robbery occurred Tuesday at 5:35 p.m. when a male suspect approached Joseph O’Connor, 24, as he was walking from his car to his apartment in the 200 block of South San Clemente Street. Police said the man pointed a chrome automatic pistol at O’Connor’s chest and demanded money. The man took O’Connor’s checkbook and watch and fled to a waiting blue four-door sedan.

The robber was described by police as an 18- to 24-year-old male, 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, and wearing a black jacket with a hood that he used to cover his face.

Five minutes later, a man matching that description walked into Topper Liquor Store in the 1600 block of East Thompson Boulevard, shouted “This is a holdup,” and pointed a chrome handgun at the clerk, police said. The clerk backed away and left through the back door of the liquor store, police said. About three minutes later, the clerk re-entered the store from the front to find the suspect had fled, police said. She then telephoned the police.

Nothing appeared to have been taken in the second holdup, Lt. Don Arth said.

At 5:50 p.m., a man whom police believe committed the robbery and attempted robbery approached Gerard Diesfeld,, 64, as he walked on Peninsula Street, north of Pierpont Boulevard. As in the first robbery, the suspect displayed a silver-colored handgun and demanded Diesfeld’s wallet. The robber fled with Diesfeld’s wallet, which contained an unknown amount of cash, police said.

There were no injuries reported in any of the robberies, police said.