Gunman Robs Man in Hotel Garage
A gunman robbed an Oxnard resident of $45 Saturday in the parking garage of the Ventura Holiday Inn as he returned with a friend from a stroll on the beach, police said.
Dennis Kelley, 44, and his friend, Valerie Foster of Los Angeles, were returning to their car at about 7 p.m. when a man confronted them and demanded their money, Ventura Police Sgt. Bryan Roberts said. At first they refused. But they turned over an empty wallet when they noticed the man held a handgun. The robber threw it back and again demanded that Kelley turn over his money. Kelley then handed the gunman $45 from his pocket, Roberts said.
The robber then fled the scene.
About 10 Ventura officers surrounded the building shortly afterward, believing the gunman was still in the parking garage. Meanwhile, a Ventura County sheriff’s helicopter scanned the beach but failed to find the suspect.
Witnesses described the man as white, in his early 20s, 5 feet, 10 inches, 160 pounds with dark brown hair, police said. He was wearing a dark jacket and jeans.
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