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Published on 12/08/1997 All articles from this issue

Armed robber hits three area shops

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue

Town Crier Staff Writer

A man, armed with a semi-automatic weapon, robbed two Los Altos stores during business hours on Nov. 29, Los Altos Police said.

"We're sure it's the same guy," said Los Altos detective Chris Fowlie of the robberies at Hartman's Fashions in the Rancho Shopping Center at Foothill Expressway and Springer Road, and Java City in the Village Court Center at San Antonio Road and El Camino Real.

A similar robbery occurred at Elegant Attic, a Mountain View gift shop, on Nov. 20, Fowlie said.

The first Los Altos robbery happened just after 4 p.m.

"I'd seen him earlier in the morning, walking the center," said the clerk in Hartman's, who was alone in the store at the time of the robbery.

"I had a little lull about 4 p.m. I heard the bell, and he came in. As soon as I saw him, my gut told me something was wrong," she said. The clerk asked that her name not be used in the story.

"You give them what they want. He had me down on the ground when he left," she said.

"It was a horrible, horrible thing," she said.

The whole incident took less than two minutes. He took $43.

"The possibility of killing or injuring a person for $43 doesn't make any sense," said Rose Hartman, owner of the women's clothing store.

"The perception is that Los Altos is an affluent community and the mom-and-pops have lots of cash. Mostly people spend by check and Visa. So there's very little cash in the drawer," Hartman said.

While police were in Hartman's they received a call at 4:32 p.m. that an armed robber, of a similar description, was at Java City. He got away with $800, all in $20s, police said.

"We canvassed the area pretty hard," said Los Altos Sgt. Mark Macaulay. "There was no vehicle description."

The district manager at Java City declined to comment.

Mountain View police later notified the Los Altos police of the 5:30 p.m. Nov. 20 robbery at the Elegant Attic.

A female clerk was alone in the store at the time, a store employee said.

The suspect is described as a male in his 40s, with brown hair and a brown mustache, wearing a light blue tailored shirt, light pants and glasses, carrying a light blue plastic bag and an automatic weapon.

If you have any information, call Los Altos Police at 948-8223.