SIMI VALLEY : Same Men Suspected in 2 Robberies

Two armed robberies within minutes of each other less than two miles apart in Simi Valley were probably committed by the same three men, police said Thursday.

Both robberies occurred shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Sgt. Fred James said. In the first, three Simi Valley residents were approached by several men from behind as they sat in their car at a drive-in fast-food restaurant on Stearns Street, police said.

As one assailant produced a five-inch knife and demanded money, a second man displayed a small-caliber pistol and threatened one of the victims when she tried to walk away, police said.

One of the victims was punched in the face before the robbers took $20 and fled to a car where a third suspect waited, James said.

Just eight minutes later, two San Fernando Valley women and a Simi Valley man parked in a car in the 2400 block of Tapo Street were robbed of $200 by three men matching the description of the assailants in the earlier robbery, police said. The men fled on foot, police said. There have been no arrests in either robbery.