Police suspect organized team robbed two men in Newport

Two men were forced from their car at gunpoint outside of the Holiday Inn Express at 2300 W. Coast Hwy. in Newport Beach about 10 a.m. Tuesday during what appears to be an organized jewelry theft, police said.

Four men broke the window of the victims’ Ford Fusion and ordered them out at gun point, said Lt. Jeff Brouwer of the Newport Beach Police Department.

The victims were not injured.

“I think these were jewelry salesman; they had an unknown amount of jewelry,” Brouwer said.

Once the victims were out of the vehicle, the robbers, who were driving a silver Honda Accord, took off with both cars. They later abandoned the light blue Fusion in a residential area.

“By the time we got there, the car was empty and we found that all victims’ property was taken,” Brouwer said.

Aside from the jewelry, personal computers were also stolen.

Police are investigating the crime scene.

“It’s probably some type of an organized team that did this,” Brouwer said. “How they found out, we don’t know that yet. We’re trying to determine exactly what took place and how they knew about the jewelry.”

Mona Shadia