Gunman Escapes With Jewelry From Mall Department Store

NORTHRIDGE — A single gunshot rang out Wednesday morning at Northridge Fashion Center as an armed robber fired into the ceiling as he fled the mall with jewelry stolen from JC Penney, police said.

Although shoppers and clerks were shaken, no one was injured in the robbery, which officials called a rare incident of violent crime at the mall.

The robber, posing as a customer, approached a clerk at the department store’s jewelry counter on the second floor of the mall about 10:35 a.m., LAPD Lt. Bob Normandy said.

When the clerk showed the man some jewelry, he pulled out a pistol and ordered her to hand the items to him, Normandy said.

“Apparently, she’s too slow in giving him the stuff,” leading the robber to fire the shot before grabbing three rings and fleeing, Normandy said.

The store’s security guards gave chase, causing the robber to drop one ring, Normandy said. But when the robber reached the mall parking garage, he pulled out his gun and the security guards retreated.

Normandy said investigators were checking whether the robber’s picture was recorded on mall security cameras. Mall officials say crime is low in the fashion center because the cameras and security guards deter most crime.

Normandy agreed. “If you look at crime statistics . . . it’s virtually the safest place in all Devonshire [Division], except for the police locker room,” he said.