Bandits Strike Again at Starbucks in Newport

Two men robbed a Starbucks Coffee house at gunpoint late Thursday, apparently for the second time in a month, police said.

“They came into the store and kind of loitered around until all the customers left,” said Newport Beach Police Sgt. John Desmond. “One of these guys produced a handgun. They forced the employees into the back room, then they removed cash from the safe and the cash registers.”

Two employees working behind the counter during the 10 p.m. holdup were ordered by the robbers to stand against the storage room wall but were not harmed.

The robbers are suspected of committing a Jan. 11 holdup at the same store at 4678 Campus Drive. Though different employees were working during the first crime, their descriptions of the men were similar, Desmond said.

“It’s the same MO, the same physical description,” he said. “The same guys hit the same Starbucks.”

The Jan. 11 robbery occurred about 11 p.m., while employees were closing up the store. No customers were in the shop.

The amount taken in the robberies was not disclosed.

Police described one robber as white in his early 20s, about 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, with red hair and a goatee, wearing a beige baseball cap, a tan shirt and shorts.

The other man was described as white, also in his early 20s, with brown hair, a thin build, acne, wearing a dark button-down shirt and shorts.

Spokeswoman Jeanie McKay said the company is concerned about safety at the store, which has been open for 11 months.

“Starbucks is working closely with the Newport Beach Police Department in connection with these matters,” she said. “We have increased security measures at the store, although we can’t be specific about what those measures entail.”