Woman Shot During Brazen Daylight Robbery At Beverly Hills Restaurant
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) — A woman was shot Thursday afternoon during an armed robbery attempt at an upscale restaurant in Beverly Hills.
The shooting was reported just after 2 p.m. at the Il Pastaio restaurant at Brighton Way and North Canon Drive. CBSLA learned the robbery target was the co-owner of jewelry store TZURI.
Two shots were fired, one of which struck a nearby woman in the leg.
"All I heard was them getting loud," said Drew Hancock, the shooting victim's boyfriend. "I looked up and saw the fight when they pushed the guy into the barrier."
He tried to shield his girlfriend while rushing inside.
"As we were going through there were three more shots," said Hancock. "On the way inside, my girlfriend was hit by a ricochet in the calf."
The target of the armed robbery, who did not want to speak on camera or have his identity shared, told CBSLA he was sitting at a table when three masked men ran up. One wrapped their arm around his neck and put a gun behind his ear, the second held his arm out and the third snatched a Richard Mille watch, worth an estimated $500,000, off his arm.
"Three of them jumped on him," a witness confirmed. "One grabbed his watch, the other one put the gun on his head."
However, the man -- a former Israeli soldier -- fought back and tried to yank the gun away. During the scuffle, the gun went off. A woman who was lunching at a nearby table was struck in the leg.
All three suspects then ran away, hurting a second woman in the process.
"People scattering, all the while screaming and yelling in terror, and everyone just completely flooded the street and ran away," said one man.
The gunshot victim was transported with non-life-threatening injuries. She is recovering at home Friday, CBSLA confirmed.
The second woman was treated at the scene for unspecified minor injuries.
The owner of the restaurant said in 26 years he has never seen violence like this.
"It's upsetting. It's discouraging. It's like, what's next?" said Celestino Drago, owner of Il Pastaio,
The three men were in their 20s and wearing masks, police said. Investigators are searching security cameras in the area, hoping for more details. It's unclear if they made off with the watch.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Police Department investigators are looking into a similar crime which occurred on the patio of Toca Madera restaurant, located in the 8400 block of West 3rd Street in Beverly Grove. Some personal items were stolen from that victim as well. The exact details of that incident were not confirmed. Beverly Hills police said its still unclear if the two crimes are connected.