LAGUNA HILLS : 2 Armed Robbers Hit Stores, Cleaners

Two men armed with a semiautomatic handgun robbed or attempted to rob three businesses in the city within a 40-minute span, authorities reported Friday.

No injuries were reported in the Thursday afternoon incidents, and the two men escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said. Each of the three stores is within a mile of another.

The crimes began just before 1:30 p.m. at Laguna Hills Cleaners, 23521 Calle de la Louisa.

The men approached workers at the counter and asked for change, then produced the gun and demanded money.

According to authorities, one clerk slammed the cash register shut and was unable to reopen it.

Both employees then dashed for the back door and the men left, apparently without getting anything.

Police said the gunmen were described as Latinos in their late teens or early 20s. One stood about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and was wearing a white T-shirt. The other stood about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and wore a striped shirt. Both wore their hair short.

Witnesses said they drove a light blue passenger car.

About 20 minutes later, two men fitting that description showed up at the Sherwin Williams Paint Co. at 24196 Laguna Hills Drive.

“They acted like they were shoppers, but they seemed kind of fidgety,” said Mike Chiasson, the assistant manager. “They didn’t know what they wanted, and most people have an idea of what they’re looking for when they come in here.”

Chiasson went into the back storage area. When he came back, he saw another employee on his knees behind the cash register.

“Then I saw a guy point a gun at me,” Chiasson said. “He just said he wasn’t going to hurt me.

“I feel real lucky,” he said. “In today’s society you never know what’s going happen. You’ve just got to hope for the best.”

The men escaped with an amount “not more than $200,” Chiasson said.

Then, shortly after 2 p.m., the same gunmen stepped into Vans tennis shoes at 25244 Cabot Road, sheriff’s investigators believe.

After feigning interest in a purchase, authorities said, the men produced a handgun when the cash register was opened.

One man told the clerk to sit on the floor, then took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled.

The area, which is next to Interstate 5 and has a high concentration of retail businesses, has had five armed robberies in the past four months.

However, the sheriff’s spokesman said, the number of robberies involving firearms in Laguna Hills is not particularly high.