COUPLE ROBBED IN NEWHALL; GROUP FOLLOWS CANADIANS, TAKES $50,000 IN JEWELRY.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

A Canadian couple returning from a Los Angeles jewelry show Tuesday night was robbed by a gang that followed them to a Newhall supermarket parking lot, slashed their tires and stole $50,000 worth of jewelry, authorities said.

Lt. Steve Dolan of the Santa Clarita Sheriff's station said the victims, a 51-year-old man and his 44-year-old wife, were on their way to Northern California on the Golden State Freeway when they noticed they were being followed.

They pulled into the Lucky market shopping center on Lyons Avenue and one of the suspects managed to puncture their tires while they drove slowly through the parking lot, Dolan said. He said that when the man got out of the car to check his tire, four late-model Hondas drove up and eight to 12 people approached the man and knocked him to the ground, making off with four suitcases filled with $50,000 worth of jewelry.

The victims, whose names were being withheld by authorities because of the nature of the crime, suffered minor injuries during the attack. Dolan said all of the robbers - males with the exception of one woman - were Latinos.

He said the attack seems to fit the style of a Colombian gang made up of former police officers and soldiers who have made a second career of stealing goods from people. ``We think it's one group with many leaders,'' said Detective Ben Black of the Los Angeles Burglary and Auto Theft Division.

According to authorities, the group is made up of 200 men and women who live in apartments west of downtown Los Angeles near the city's Jewelry Mart. It is believed they take in $500 million dollars annually.

The surveillance and countersurveillance capabilities of the robbers rival those of the police, making it difficult to catch them, according to Black. Police believe the gang sells it's stolen items to someone in the Los Angeles area.

The gang prefers to recruit former Colombian police and military soldiers because they typically are disciplined and steer clear of drugs and alcohol, authorities said. Also, they are trained in military reconnaissance, which allows them to find and track their victims who are usually jewelry tradesmen and brokers.

Dolan said the suspects in the Newhall case left few clues. ``They are very organized and know what they are doing,'' he said. Dolan said it is likely that the cars used in the robbery were stolen or had license plates that were not traceable.