Armed man reportedly steals $30,000 in jewelry from Burbank antique store

Authorities are searching for a man who reportedly robbed a Burbank antique store on Tuesday at gunpoint.

A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and a hat walked into Antiques on Magnolia around 3:30 p.m. and pointed a gun at an employee. Sheryl Coughlan, the store’s owner, said the man placed a sack on the store’s counter and demanded the employee fill it with jewelry.

“He said if [the employee] didn’t do it, he was going to kill him,” she said.

An estimated $30,000 worth of jewelry was placed into the sack and the man fled, according to Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman for the Burbank Police Department. He said officers arrived on scene soon after the robbery, but they were unable to locate the man.

He is described as a white male, possibly in his 20s and was around 5 feet 7 to 6 feet tall. The robber also appeared to have reddish facial hair, according to Green.

Coughlan said she’s been in the antiques and estate-sale business for 22 years, with three being spent at the 3412 W. Magnolia Blvd. storefront, and this was the first time she has been robbed at gunpoint.

She said there has been a recent rash of robberies along Magnolia Boulevard, specifically smash-and-grabs, where thieves smash a window or display case and grab merchandise before fleeing.

However, Green said robberies in the Magnolia Park District have been sporadic. The incident at Antiques on Magnolia, in fact, was the first armed robbery in that area this year.

Beyond this week’s incident, he said there was an attempted smash-and-grab robbery at nearby Bell Cottage in February and a grand theft at 1928 Jewelry in April.

“Unless there are other incidents that haven’t been reported to us, crime has actually been down,” Green said.

He said there was an uptick in crime a year ago around Magnolia, but the police department held a seminar about crime prevention and education with merchants to help deter and prevent further incidents. The department also increased patrols and had a more visible presence in the area.

Despite the decline, Green said the robbery on Tuesday was “concerning.”

“One robbery is one too many, especially for these merchants,” he said. “It pains us to see these types of crimes being committed against our local [businesses].”

In the wake of the robbery, Coughlan said additional security cameras will be installed at the shop. She also said the store will have more panic buttons, which played a vital role on Tuesday.

“Once we pressed that panic button … Burbank police were at the store in 15 seconds. They were on it,” Coughlan said.

In addition to the extra security features, she cautioned her fellow merchants in Magnolia Park “to be careful and vigilant” in light of the robbery.

Anyone with information about the incident can call Burbank police at (818) 238-3210.