2 Van Nuys Men Are Charged in Robbery of Travel Agency

Charges were filed Tuesday against two Van Nuys men accused of robbing a Westlake Village travel agency at gunpoint last week.

Four counts of robbery and four counts of false imprisonment were filed against Eddie Mendoza, 21, and Douglas Fernando Sosa, 20, in Van Nuys Superior Court, said Sheriff’s Det. Dina Lincoln of the Lost Hills-Malibu sheriff’s station.

Bail was raised from $500,000 to $1 million for each man, Lincoln said.

The men were arrested Thursday after a televised chase on the Ventura Freeway that ended in a Woodland Hills cul-de-sac.

Authorities have no leads on a third suspect, who bailed out of the car during the chase.

The trio allegedly burst into Petro Shore Travel wielding guns. Employees were tied up and robbed of jewelry, cash and ticket coupons.

Police are still unsure whether the men are responsible for a spate of armed robberies of other area travel agencies over the past month, said Det. Jack Giroud of the LAPD’s robbery-homicide section.

At least 10 agencies, including offices in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Glendale, Granada Hills and Northridge, have been robbed in recent weeks.

Additional charges will be added to the case against the men as new information emerges, Lincoln said.