Armed robbers swipe jewelry

An armed trio cleaned out Baca Jewelry store on Forest Avenue on Tuesday evening, making off with an estimated $600,000 in jewelry, police said.

Laguna Beach police chased the suspects in a white Ford Fusion to a shopping center in Aliso Viejo, where the suspects exited the car and escaped, eluding an intensive police search of the area, said Lt. Jason Kravetz. They were spotted by one witness climbing a hill into a residential neighborhood above the Aliso Creek Road shopping center, behind an Edwards Cinema.

The suspects were described as male Latinos, mid-20s, wearing black clothing and gloves.

Two witnesses called 911 about 7:15 p.m. to report the robbery; one caller gave police a description of the vehicle and a license number.

The victim, a female employee in the store, also called 911, but was too upset to give police much of a description of the suspects, Kravetz said.

“She was very shaken, and in fear of her life,” Kravetz said. The robbers held a “small” gun to her head as they cleaned out the store safe and shelves, he said. No shots were fired, and the clerk was not injured.

The robbers took everything in the shop, putting the loot into a duffel bag.

“This was a well-planned crime,” Kravetz said.

Police chased the suspects from downtown Laguna Beach up Laguna Canyon Road, onto El Toro Road, then onto the 73 Toll Road, and off the freeway onto Aliso Creek Road, where the suspect vehicle passenger door flew open, as if someone was about to flee, Kravetz said. Instead, the vehicle made a sudden turn around another vehicle, sped off and ended up turning into the Aliso Creek shopping center.

Several police agencies participated in the search, and canines were also brought in, to no avail.

The getaway vehicle, which was not reported stolen, is registered to a woman in California who police are trying to locate, Kravetz said.

The vehicle was impounded and taken the next morning to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department crime lab for DNA analysis and fingerprints, Kravetz said.

The robbers left behind a small piece of jewelry, but got away with most of the stolen goods. The vehicle also contained clothing, which has been retrieved, Kravetz said.

Only 15 minutes elapsed between the first 911 call and the robbery suspects’ final escape, according to police logs.

On Wednesday morning, businesspeople in the area were shocked by the brazen robbery. One woman said she was closing up her store about the time of the incident and had no idea it was taking place. She learned of it that morning.

Kravetz noted that an armed robber targeted another jewelry store on the same block in February, but that suspect was captured the next month in Hawaii and is in jail. In that incident, $50,000 in diamond rings were stolen.