Gunman Robs Novelty Shop of $5,000--in Beanie Babies
A masked man walked into a gift shop, ordered customers and employees to the floor at gunpoint and stole more than 40 Beanie Babies worth $5,000--ignoring the cash register, police said.
Aahs, a novelty shop in the 14500 block of Ventura Boulevard, had just opened at 9 a.m. when the gunman entered brandishing a chrome semiautomatic pistol, according to Los Angeles police.
“He pointed the gun at the clerk and told her to ‘Get down. Get down’,” said Det. Keith Hunter of the LAPD’s Van Nuys robbery unit.
As the clerk crouched behind the counter she could hear the man breaking a display case where Beanie Babies are kept, she told police.
In a matter of seconds the gunman fled out the backdoor into an alley, Hunter said.
“He didn’t want the cash register,” Hunter said. “All he wanted was the Beanie Babies. With the amount of money these things are getting on the market, it was bound to happen sometime.”
Hunter said Thursday morning’s Beanie Baby robbery was the first of its kind. Police have not identified any suspects in connection with the case.
“Maybe he’s got a lot of kids or something,” Hunter said.
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