STOCKTON - A man described as possibly the owner
of Leo's Jewelers was tied up and assaulted Monday during a brazen
daytime robbery of his store at 6360 Pacific Avenue, police reported.
The
man, 63, was taken to an area hospital for treatment of several
injuries and was last listed in stable condition, according to police.
They did not identify the victim.
Around 2:50
p.m. Monday, according to police, three men wearing ski masks and
carrying hammers entered the jewelry store in a small strip mall tucked
behind O'Reilly Auto Parts, tied up and hit the man while taking an
undetermined amount of jewelry from several glass cases. One of the
suspects may have been armed with a handgun. When a customer entered the
store, the three suspects fled on foot.
Police provided the following descriptions of
the suspects: The first was a black man in his mid-20s, 5 feet 10 inches
and 180 pounds wearing a black shirt and dark jeans; the second was a
male of unknown race wearing a red hat and dark shirt; the third was a
black male, 6 feet 1 inch with a slender build wearing a tan sweatshirt
and blue jeans.
A man who works nearby but was
not present during the robbery described the injured victim as Leo, the
owner of the jewelry store.
"He's a nice guy
who ran a one-man shop," Carlos Jacobo said, adding, "for the most part,
we feel pretty safe here. We've heard a few cars have been broken into
at the apartments behind us, but nothing here."
A sign on the front door of Leo's says the store provides "expert jewelry repair."
