Man Left in Trunk After Jewelry Heist
A Florida jewelry courier was locked in the trunk of his rental car in Newbury Park for about half an hour Friday morning by five men who forced him there after robbing him at gunpoint.
Charles Foster of Satellite Beach, Fla., a courier for Alan Friedman Co. in Beverly Hills, had spent Thursday night at the Holiday Inn on Ventu Park Road. When Foster left the hotel for his car Friday morning about 9:30 a.m., he opened the trunk and was approached by five men, three of them armed.
One of the men demanded that Foster, 50, hand over his briefcase, which was full of jewelry, and a suitcase, which contained mostly clothing. He was then ordered into the trunk of his rented red Pontiac Grand Prix.
After the robbers left in another car, Foster used his cell phone to call 911 from inside the trunk. Ventura County firefighters freed him by about 10 a.m.
The suspects, described in their mid-20s, were seen driving away in a blue sedan, possibly a Nissan Maxima or a Toyota.
The value of the stolen jewelry has not been determined.
Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Ed Tumbleson said jewelry couriers are prime targets for thieves. Foster told deputies he had been robbed before.
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