Armed Man Escapes After Smash-And-Grab Robbery At Northridge Costco
NORTHRIDGE (CBSLA) – Authorities are looking for a man who brandished a gun while stealing jewelry from a Costco store in Northridge Monday night.
The robbery occurred at 7:10 p.m. at the store located at 8810 Tampa Ave. The armed suspect smashed a glass display case, took jewelry and then ran out, Los Angeles police said. No one was hurt.
The sound of the breaking glass was mistaken by shoppers as shots being fired, which created chaos in the store. The aftermath of the robbery was captured by cell phone video.
Employees initially detained a suspect at the scene, but realized they had the wrong person and let him go, police said.
Investigators are examining surveillance video from the store. The suspect was only described as a white male. It's unclear if he fled in a vehicle.