Woman Hurt, Robbed of Beanie Babies, Cash

Robbers beat a woman in her warehouse Thursday and fled with $1,000 in cash and a box of Beanie Babies, a toy that commands high prices on the collectors’ market, police said.

The victim, whose name was withheld by police, was struck in the head with a pipe and her husband suffered minor injuries during the scuffle at Sergio’s Accessories in an industrial complex on MacArthur Boulevard, police said.

Sgt. Steve Despenas said two men entered the business about 2:15 p.m. and demanded cash. As one of them beat the woman, the other grabbed the money and a box of Beanie Babies, Despenas said.

The victim’s husband chased the robbers and yelled for help as they got into a gray Honda, Despenas said.

“He hit the vehicle with something and broke the rear window,” he said. The attackers escaped.

A woman who witnessed the attack from a nearby office in the complex said she heard a woman screaming and ran outside to investigate. In front of Sergio’s, she saw the bloodied store owner fighting with two men.

“I saw him and just kept hearing that horrible, blood-curdling scream from his wife inside,” said the woman, who requested anonymity. “I immediately ran in and called police, but by then [the robbers] were gone.”

The woman said the store is actually a warehouse where leather products are made, but that the couple sell Beanie Babies from the front office.

A sign on the front of the warehouse, which has mirrored doors and windows, announces “BEANIE BABIES!”

Police did not know if the robbers intentionally sought the fad toys, which have sold in collectors’ circles for thousands of dollars, or if they took them as an afterthought.

The victim was treated at a hospital for head injuries, and her husband suffered minor injuries.

Earlier this week, police were called to settle an unruly crowd of 200 who had camped outside a store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa to buy a new shipment of Beanie Babies. When the doors opened at 10 a.m., store officials announced the price had risen from $12 to $75, and customers became irate, police said.

“This Beanie Baby thing is out of control,” Costa Mesa Police Lt. Ron Smith said.