Gunman Briefly Holds 2 Hostage Before Fleeing Video Store
A gunman briefly held two video store employees hostage Friday before making a getaway--minus much of the loot, which fell from his ripped bag, authorities said.
No employees at the Blockbuster store in the 1900 block of North Lake Avenue were injured in the holdup shortly before 1 a.m., said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Randy Sulstrom.
Deputies were dispatched to the store--which was closed at the time of the robbery--after a nearby resident reported the crime in progress, Sulstrom said.
When the deputies arrived, a man emerged holding two employees at gunpoint with a shotgun, Sulstrom said. As deputies ordered the man to surrender, the employees ran to safety. The gunman then ran back into the store, shot out a window and climbed through it, deputies said. The gunman got away, but with little money, deputies said.
Jagged glass in the window tore open the bag, which contained about $1,700, and the money spilled out in a trail behind the robber as he made his escape across Altadena yards, deputies said.
The gunman remained at large Friday, authorities said.
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