ROBBERY MAY HAVE RING LINK; $300,000 GEM HEIST COULD BE LATEST HIT.Byline: Phillip W. Browne Daily News Staff Writer The robbery of two jewel brokers at their Gresham Street Gresham Street, in the City of London, is named after Thomas Gresham and runs from St. Martin's Le Grand near St Paul's Cathedral in the west, past Guildhall, to Lothbury in the east. home this week may be the work of a ring of Colombian thieves targeting jewelers across the nation, authorities said Wednesday. The heist of $300,000 in gems is suspected to be the latest by the ring, believed responsible for millions in losses to local jewelers during the past several years, LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Detective Mike Woodings said. ``The actions of the men involved in this robbery are consistent with the patterns established by the Colombian ring, so we believe it's the same guys,'' said Woodings, of the LAPD's Burglary-Auto Theft Division that also handles organized crime. ``This ring has caused significant losses in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County and across the state,'' he said. Two robbers apparently followed the brokers from the Downtown Jewelry jewelry, personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion. The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. Mart in Los Angeles to their home in the 16700 block of Gresham Street on Tuesday evening, police said. The brokers, who took a cab home, stepped out of the car and were accosted ac·cost tr.v. ac·cost·ed, ac·cost·ing, ac·costs 1. To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request. 2. To solicit for sex. by the robbers, who appeared to be armed, LAPD Officer Charlotte Broughton said. ``The men stepped out of the car and opened the truck to get their merchandise,'' Broughton said. ``The suspects approached them at this time, took the jewelry and left the scene in a getaway car getaway car n the thieves' getaway car → el coche en que huyeron los ladrones getaway car n → voiture prévue pour prendre la fuite .'' Police are not releasing the identities of the victims, two men ages 27 and 28, for their safety. The men called police when the robbers left. Neither was injured in the robbery. The robbers appeared to be white men in their 30s. They drove away in a 1999 Nissan Altima
The Altima (pronounced ALL-timah) is a mid-size car (formerly compact) currently being manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan, and is arguably a continuation of the , Broughton said. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call detectives at the LAPD's Devonshire Division, (818) 756-8291. The ring has hit as many as 32 times in California since Jan. 1 - 25 of those cases in Los Angeles County, Woodings said. They target wholesalers because they're the ones moving large quantities of jewelry, police said. Tuesday's attack is nearly identical to a March 25 robbery where the ring is suspected of following a pair of jewelers to a McDonald's in Castaic and robbing them of $140,000 in merchandise. |
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