Westside : Robbers Take Over Auto Stereo Store
Armed robbers took over an auto stereo store in Santa Monica Tuesday night, tying up employees and customers and then emptying the store of stereos, cellular telephones and pagers, police said.
The three robbers escaped in a Budget rental van loaded with tens of thousands of dollars worth of store electronics. Police later retrieved the van--still full of the merchandise and the handguns used the robbery.
Shortly before 8 p.m., three men burst into Al & Ed’s Auto Sound in the 2600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. They tied up and robbed the two store employees and two customers, then locked them in a storage room, said Sgt. Gary Gallinot.
After loading the merchandise into the van the three fled, and one of the victims was able to trip a silent alarm and notify police.
Officers spotted the vehicle heading east on the Santa Monica Freeway and followed, waiting for additional police units. The robbers apparently noticed the officers, ditched the van and escaped in the Crenshaw district.
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