ROBBERS TERRORIZE STORES SHOPPERS SUSPECTS THREATEN TO KILL CRYING CHILDREN.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

RESEDA - Five armed robbers took over a Pic 'N' Save store with 15 people inside and injured a child and several other customers before escaping with $4,500, officials said Thursday.

The robbers hit a woman, threatened to kill several crying children and picked up one distraught youngster by the neck during the holdup at 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 18000 block of Vanowen Street. In all, four customers were treated for minor injuries at Valley Presbyterian Hospital.

``It's a real sad state when armed (suspects) can come into a family- oriented store and harm children and terrify them,'' said Los Angeles police Detective Lindey Gligorijevic. ``I would consider these people ruthless.''

Five robbers - one woman and four men - had posed as customers, then pulled bandannas over their faces and announced a robbery as the manager prepared to close the discount store. One suspect pulled a gun and forced the manager to open a safe while the others ushered customers to the back of the store, police said.

The robbers threatened to kill several children who began crying, police said. One woman who could not quiet her child was struck.

The robbers, by then armed with semiautomatic handguns and a sawed-off shotgun, stole cash from the safe and robbed customers of their personal items before fleeing, police said.

Employees helped keep the focus of the robbers away from the customers.

``The violence didn't escalate into gunfire due to Pic 'N' Save employees,'' Gligorijevic said.

The female suspect was described as 19 to 23 years old, about 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with blond-streaked hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a light-colored skirt, possibly beige, police said.

The four men, ages 20 to 25, wore dark clothing; three wore beanies, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gligorijevic at [phone] during regular business hours or [phone] after hours.