Robbers Hit Chinese Gem Salesmen

In the latest armed robbery of jewelry salespeople, three Chinese citizens en route to Los Angeles International Airport were forced to the side of a downtown freeway onramp Sunday and robbed of gems they were taking home to Hong Kong, police said.

The robbers, described only as four Latinos in a gray vehicle, escaped down the southbound Harbor Freeway.

Police spokesman Mike Partain said no one was injured in the incident involving the unnamed businessmen, who he said may have been followed since long before they left their downtown hotel.

Authorities said recently that last year there were about 100 such robberies in the Los Angeles area netting an average of $200,000 in jewels.

About 99% of the robbers in the highly organized theft rings are Colombian, officials said.

Partain gave no loss figure Sunday, but he said the new episode followed the general pattern.

“It’s believed that theft rings are staking out jewelry marts, seeing who is making purchases and then following them with incredible patience until they are most vulnerable,” he said.

In this case, the businessmen had just pulled their Volvo onto the 5th Street onramp of the Harbor Freeway about 8 a.m. when the robbers forced them to stop, Partain said.

The robbers, at least two of whom were armed, then smashed a car window and may have slashed three of the Volvo’s tires.

Another possibility, Partain said, is that the robbers had cut the tires to cause a slow leak before the three men left the hotel. “Then, after a short time, they would have been forced to stop,” he said.

The victims put up no resistance, Partain said. “Most businessmen know how risky it would be to do so.”

The California Highway Patrol shut down the southbound freeway for two hours, causing traffic jams even in early Sunday morning downtown traffic.

“They must have known they were carrying valuable stuff,” Partain said of the robbers. “We’ve become used to their modus operandi.”

Police would not disclose the identities of the victims, their hotel or the inventory of what was stolen.