Four robbers snatched two designer handbags from a man and woman while they were waiting in line outside a boutique in Beverly Hills, authorities said.
Officers were dispatched around 1:20 p.m. Saturday to the 400 block of North Drive, the Beverly Hills Police Department reported. It was at that location where one of the four suspects pulled out a handgun and a fight occurred between both victims and the suspects, police said.
“During the altercation, the suspects forcibly took two designer handbags — one from each victim — containing cash and cell phones,” according to a police statement. “One cell phone was recovered nearby. The suspects also attempted to steal the male victim’s jewelry but were unsuccessful.”
Both victims were treated at the scene by paramedics and then decided to go to a hospital, in their own vehicle, for further treatment, authorities said.
Police did not provide descriptions of the four suspects.
Anyone with information about the crime was asked to call 310-285-2125. Anonymous tips can be texted to BHPDALERT followed by the tip information to 888777. Callers can also contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.
Earlier this month, at least four people were injured when a 22-year-old man carjacked a woman driving a BMW and crashed into a building in Beverly Hills during the holiday light celebration on Rodeo Drive, authorities said. The suspect was arrested.
In September, two people with a handgun were linked to the robbery of a $1 million emerald-encrusted Patek Phillipe watch from a tourist sitting on the patio of a restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, police said.
Robberies and attempted robberies by armed assailants also have been reported at upscale shopping centers in Orange County in recent months.
A man was shot in the parking lot of South Coast Plaza next to his Lamborghini SUV in September. A male suspect approached the man, who apparently was leaving a restaurant, and shot him in the leg while attempting to rob him, police said. The suspect fled before officers arrived.
At least one shot was fired at Fashion Island in August as two men, reportedly driving a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari, were targeted by robbers.
Arriving officers found two victims, one of whom suffered an injury to his ear “possibly from shattered glass from a gunshot at the vehicle,” police Sgt. Steve Oberon said.
And in July, a 69-year-old New Zealand tourist was killed in an apparently failed robbery attempt at Fashion Island. When a struggle ensued, the woman was dragged into the parking lot area, where she was subsequently run over by the suspects’ white Toyota Camry, police said. Three suspects were ultimately arrested.
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