Three people walking from their cars into their homes were robbed within minutes of each other Tuesday in two coastal communities, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said.
In two of the robberies, a man approached the victim asking about a lost dog. Soon after, another man wearing a ski mask robbed the victims at gunpoint, according to police.
SDPD got a call at 8:30 p.m. from a woman on Monaco Street in the Sunset Cliffs area. She was robbed at gunpoint while parking her car in front of her home, police said.
The victim said two men ran away after taking the necklace off her neck and a ring from her finger. They ran westbound on Monaco Street police said.
She told police she remembers a man in dark clothing approached her first and asked about a lost dog. Then, a second man wearing a ski mask appeared.
The woman's sister, Dawna Kirbey, told NBC 7 that her sister was on the phone with a friend when the men approached her. The friend heard the robbery in the background, according to Kirbey.
The chain of the necklace broke and was found inside the car, Kirbey said.
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“Her husband passed away and it was the engagement ring from him,” she said. “It meant everything to her.”
Within five minutes, San Diego Police said another robbery occurred at 1500 Ebers Street, more than a mile from the first location.
In this incident, a man was walking from his parked car to his front door when a man walked up to him and asked if he had seen his pitbull, police said.
While the two men talked, another man wearing a ski mask pointed a gun at the victim, police said.
Officers say the suspect “racked the slide of the gun.” The homeowner gave the suspects his cell phone, wallet and backpack. The two robbers ran into an alley north of the victim’s home.
The first suspect was wearing a black sweater with yellow lettering, according to police. The second was described as wearing dark clothing and a black ski mask.
Approximately an hour later, at 9:21 p.m., a man had just driven his car into his garage at a home on 1300 Virginia Way in La Jolla when he was approached by three men wearing black ski masks, police said.
Two were armed with black handguns.
In this incident, the suspects got away with the victim’s watch, cell phone and briefcase before running from the scene.
The third incident occurred approximately 12 miles north of the Ebers Street robbery.
While no suspect vehicle was released in the police report, the distance between the first two robberies would take someone more than 20 minutes on foot.
Anyone with information can call San Diego Police at the department's non-emergency line (619) 531-2000 or (858) 484-3154.
