Police Still Searching for Computer Thieves : Crime: Authorities say a botched robbery in Reseda in which two men are shot is the first Valley incident in a series of such cases.

Police Sunday were still looking for armed intruders who have been shopping for victims through ads in the Recycler, a weekly advertiser.

Two men shot Saturday were the latest victims--but the first in the San Fernando Valley--of robbers who pretend to be interested in buying Macintosh computers from Recycler classified ads, but instead steal them by force.

The thieves have struck in the Westside eight times since December.

In the Valley case, one man was shot in the leg and another shot twice in the chest by a man in his early 20s who had knocked on the door to ask about a computer advertised for sale.

Once inside the house in the 18400 block of Keswick Street, the robber pulled a handgun and bound both men with rope, Los Angeles police said. One of the victims managed to free himself and went to get his own gun. He and his companion were shot during a gun battle with the robber.

Police said their injuries were not life threatening.

The computer, which police believe the intruder intended to steal, was not taken, police said.

The other Recycler robberies were in West Los Angeles, Culver City and Santa Monica, police said.

Representatives of the Recycler last week called 100 advertisers in the Los Angeles and South Bay areas to warn them about the robberies. They advised advertisers to meet with buyers during the day and in a public place whenever possible, said Paul Schultz, the paper’s director of marketing.

Because the suspects had been using a beeper, advertisers were also warned to verify that the buyer had a home phone number. The suspects had been using the name Mike or Michael, Schultz said.

“People can’t even do business from their own homes,” said a neighbor of the Reseda victims.