-
Jan 29, 2008 11:20 am US/Pacific
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Robbers Make Off With 50 Guns In Riverside Heist
Authorities Search For Suspects, Weapons
RIVERSIDE (CBS) ―
A four-man holdup crew was at large Tuesday after taking about 50 handguns from a Riverside gun store in a takeover robbery, police said.
Customers and employees were also ordered to turn over their wallets during the robbery at Centerfire Firearms in Central Avenue, according to Riverside police Sgt. Leon Phillips.
The suspects, with their faces concealed by masks, hoods, bandanas and sunglasses, stormed into the store and ordered customers and employees on the floor, he said.
None of the six people in the store was hurt, he said. "The suspects stole wallets from the customers and workers, and removed between 40-50 handguns from the display cases," Phillips said. "They fled the store very quickly and ran to a car waiting on San Diego Avenue."
The getaway car was a dark-blue, 2004 or 2005 four-door Honda Accord with tinted windows, last seen headed south, witnesses told police. All four suspects were believed to be African Americans, police said.
The robbery bore similarities to a holdup at Turner's Outdoorsman on Indiana Avenue in May. Three armed men wearing hooded sweatshirts and facemasks robbed the gun shop just before closing time, taking several dozen pistols.
The robbery at Turner's had the hallmarks of a gang-related crime, a Riverside detective said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in that holdup.
Anyone with more information about the robbery at Centerfire is urged to call Detective Mike Medici at (951) 353-7014 or Detective James Brandt at (951) 353-7137.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)