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A wristwatch worth tens of thousands of dollars was stolen Monday night during an armed robbery outside of Urth Caffé in West Hollywood.
Two men armed with handguns reportedly approached a group of people congregating in front of the popular high-end coffeehouse on Melrose Avenue just before 10:30 p.m. The armed suspects demanded that the group turn over their jewelry, according to Lieutenant Edward Ramirez of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, West Hollywood Station. Ramirez told LAist that the armed suspects managed to take one very expensive wristwatch. The watch in question was an Audemars Piguet estimated to cost $30,000, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Department.
NBC 4 reports that the victims also gave the armed suspects "other items," with the total value of stolen property being around $40,000. The Sheriff's department was not able to provide information on other stolen items. The two suspects then north up Westmount Avenue "and out of view."
Does anyone know what's happening in #Weho #WestHollywood around Croft & Waring right now? Dozens of cop cars, helicopter, etc. Rifles drawn
— Jeremy Blacklow (@DJBlacklow) August 1, 2017
Sheriff's deputies from the West Hollywood station quickly responded and set up a containment around the area. "Our aero bureau responded. We canvassed the area and searched a number of yards, however, we were unable to locate the suspects," Ramirez said. "Our detectives are currently working on the case, attempting to identify witnesses and see if there was any video either from the Urth Caffé or from the surrounding businesses." According to NBC 4, multiple people also called 911 to report men running into an area that was under construction.
The two suspects remain at large. The robbery is not believed to have been targeted, although the matter remains under investigation. "Preliminarily, there is nothing that leads us to believe that the [victims] were targeted," Ramirez said.
A representative for Urth Caffé's corporate office declined to comment. An employee at the West Hollywood location told LAist that the coffeehouse is typically quite busy around 10:30 p.m., but was not able to provide any details on the situation last night.
