Update: Deputies Search for Armed Robbers

Updated at 4:45 p.m. Nov. 28.

Armed robbers held up the Mobile.com store on Broadway this morning, taking several cell phones from the business before making off in a getaway car driven by a female accomplice, authorities say. One of the suspects had a gun.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Herbert Taft, the suspect who carried a silver handgun is described as a black male juvenile with a thin build, about 5’ 10” to 6-feet-tall, wearing a dark hoodie, mask and dark shorts. The second robbery suspect is described as a black male juvenile wearing a dark hoodie, and dark pants.

A witness described the two suspects as black males, both wearing dark hoodies and beanie caps, and said the suspect who displayed the gun was also carrying a pink bag.

The duo robbed the store of several cell phones, taken both from a case near the front counter, as well as from the back of the business, says Taft.

The robbery of the store on the 7900 block of Broadway was reported about 10:30 a.m. Monday, and prompted a short lockdown of nearby Golden Avenue School as a safety precaution. Parents were notified of the action in a letter sent home by Principal Rick Oser (see PDF).

Detectives from the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Station are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information about the case is asked to called Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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Sheriff’s deputies are searching for two men wanted in connection with an armed robbery Monday morning in Lemon Grove, according to authorities. The incident briefly put Golden Avenue Elementary School on lockdown.

Two suspects, described as black male adults wearing hoodies, are alleged to have held up the Mobile.com store on the 7900 block of Broadway at about 10:30 a.m. Monday.

The pair made off with several cell phones, according to sheriff's Sgt. Herbert Taft of the Lemon Grove Sheriff's Station.

A gun was seen by witnesses, but the initial report of shots fired was incorrect, according to sheriff’s Lt. David Gilmore. Following the robbery, the suspects ran off to the south through an alley and may have fled the area in a small four-door car.

Anna Sigler, 20, of El Cajon, was waiting outside the cell-phone store for her boyfriend who was inside when she saw two men approaching on Broadway. She says one of the suspects showed her a gun as he entered the store and motioned for her to be quiet.

Once the suspects were inside the store, Sigler says she ran into the business next door, Lemon Grove Pets, and told the owner what was happening.

“They had a gun, so I couldn’t say anything,” Sigler says. “I knew my boyfriend was in there, and started crying. I was really scared.”

Sigler described the two suspects as black males, both wearing dark hoodies and beanie caps. The suspect who displayed the gun was also carrying a pink bag, she says.

Pet store owner Roland Baloy says he had just opened his store for the day when Sigler ran in. He says Sigler told him she’d heard a gunshot. He called 911, gave Sigler the phone, and locked the business’s door.

The incident prompted nearby Golden Avenue School to be put on lockdown for a brief amount of time as a security measure. Taft says authorities did not suspect the men were on the campus, and that children were not in danger.

Administrators at nearby Golden Avenue Elementary and a day-care center in the neighborhood kept their pupils and preschoolers secured indoors for about a half-hour as deputies searched for the suspects, aided by a crew aboard a police helicopter. The robbers remained at large in the early afternoon, the lieutenant said.

—City News Service contributed to this report.