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M/CLOUDY Temp: 42 °F Wind: WNW at 3 mph Monday, March 3, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 8, 2003 ‘Smart’ robbers remain at large By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune The three men who robbed a Phoenix market Thursday night were calm, competent — almost professional, police said. "These guys knew what they wanted," Phoenix police officer John Koury said. The robbers targeted La Tapatia, a store at 125 S. Main Street that sells Mexican foods and products to a largely Hispanic clientele. Signs outside the modest building tout fine jewelry, exotic spices and leather goods — as well as money-transfer services. In the small market, colorful children’s dresses hang next to leather jackets sheathed in clear plastic bags. Bright pi�atas bob from the ceiling. Candies and baked goods tempt customers from shelves. Savory scents waft from bags of powdered chilies and other spices dangling along one wall. In the dusty front window, a hand-lettered sign proclaiming "Carniteria y Taqueria" competes for space among banners and placards advertising services to wire money to Mexico and other Central and South American countries. From the mix of merchandise, the armed robbers made off with an estimated $50,000 worth of cash and jewelry — as well as an order of tacos and a burrito from the Taqueria in the back of the shop. Police were stumped in their search Thursday night, when a police dog lost the suspects’ scent trail, but they continue looking for the robbers. "These (robbers) were all smart guys," said Antonio Hernandez, who co-owns the market with his brother-in-law, Jose Bugarin. Hernandez noted that the men waited patiently after ordering food, then worked quickly and smoothly to clean out two cash registers, collect gold jewelry from a case, dip into the pockets of people in the store, and herd workers and customers into a bathroom. He said he had never seen the three robbers, who spoke Spanish while committing the crime, in the store before. The three men were photographed by the store’s video surveillance system, and the tape was turned over to police, Hernandez said. Phoenix police — with the help of RVTV, the community access television channel at Southern Oregon University — studied the tape Friday and worked to capture still photos from it. The video tape didn’t produce images that could be reproduced in a newspaper. Koury is hopeful that someone will recognize descriptions of the suspects or their clothing and be able to assist police with a tip. One suspect is a Hispanic man with a mustache. He looks about 28 years old, 6 feet tall and 250 pounds. He was wearing a dark leather baseball cap with the letter D on it and a green vinyl jacket. He had a black revolver. The second suspect is a Hispanic man who is about 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was wearing a dark baseball cap with the letter I or L on it and a dark jacket with a thick white stripe around the chest area. He had a 9 mm handgun. The third suspect had a mustache and goatee and wore a baseball cap. The three men were last seen walking north on Highway 99 in Phoenix. Police don’t know if they have a car. Phoenix police’s dog tracked the suspects to Fern Valley Road but got tired and lost the scent in heavy brush. Anyone with information on the robbery or the suspects can call Phoenix police at 535-1113. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S