NOMA — Cops were on the hunt Wednesday for a pair of thieves who made off with at least $300,000 worth of jewelry after robbing Chinese couriers at gunpoint, Santa Monica police said.
The crime occurred on the 500 block of 17th Street near the intersection of Marguerita Avenue in the North of Montana Avenue neighborhood around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. Two masked men approached a pair of couriers as they were walking to a home, said SMPD Sgt. Richard Lewis.
The robbers, who appeared to be in their 20s to 30s, fled in a dark colored, four-door sedan, Lewis said. No one was hurt during the course of the robbery.
One robber was African-American and the other either Latino, black or white, Lewis said. They were of medium build, wore dark hoodies, had bandanas over their faces, and they may have had an accomplice at the wheel of their getaway car.
Prior to driving to the private residence, the Hong Kong-couriers stopped off at a jewelry store on Montana Avenue.
Anyone with information on the robbers was urged to call the SMPD at (310) 395-9931 or (310) 458-8491. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
