ROBBERY REPORT A HOAX; OFFICIALS SAY CLERK FABRICATED HEIST STORY.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

A gas station manager at the center of what was reported as a brazen daylight heist last week in Valencia fabricated the story and has been arrested, sheriff's officials said Wednesday.

Henry Ortiz, 35, of Pasadena, said he made up the story because he was afraid he would be fired if his boss learned the $4,700 was taken from his desk when Ortiz left it unattended, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective John Bomben said.

The money has not been found, and Ortiz was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of grand theft and making a false crime report. He was released after posting $20,000 bail.

Initially, Ortiz told sheriff's deputies that he had been robbed Oct. 22 at gunpoint at a traffic signal on Valencia Boulevard and Citrus Drive near his destination, the Bank of America across the street from the Valencia Town Center and Santa Clarita City Hall.

He said a man approached him, poked a gun through the open car window, held the weapon to his head and demanded the money. An accomplice, Ortiz said, was in a car behind him. After handing over the money, Ortiz told deputies he doubled back to the Shell station and paged his boss, who called authorities.

Officials began to suspect Ortiz's account for a number of reasons, including his demeanor when the crime report was taken and his actions immediately after he claimed to be robbed, officials said.

Rather than driving the one block to the sheriff's station, he returned to work and delayed reporting the ``robbery.'' In addition, when a deputy came to the gas station to take a crime report, Ortiz was casually talking with a vendor and did not approach the deputy.

Bomben said Ortiz's confession provided some relief.

``It's good to know that we don't have a couple of armed suspects sticking guns in people's faces in broad daylight.''