A shocking video shows a group diners in the patio of a trendy Los Angeles restaurant being robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight, the latest incident in a wave of violent crime that began with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The robbery happened just before 5pm Tuesday in the 7300 block of Melrose Avenue, a popular shopping and dining strip that runs between the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills and Silver Lake, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police are investigating the incident caught on surveillance footage, which shows a man and two women sitting at a table covered in purses and shopping bags.
They appear relaxed, looking at their phones and chatting, when two masked men in hoodies suddenly crowd around them.
Police are investigating an armed robbery that appears to have taken place outside of La Crème Café in Melrose Avenue Tuesday afternoon
Two masked men pulled a gun on the dining trio and stole their purses and shopping bags
The incident took less than 20 seconds and was captured on surveillance video of the sidewalk
One of the women drops her phone in fear when one of them draws a handgun.
The gun-wielding criminal picks the phone up and stuffs it into a purse on the table, which he collects along with the rest of the group's belongings.
The other robber sifts through the male diner's pockets as he holds his hands up.
The incident took less than 20 seconds and appears to have taken place at European-style restaurant La Crème Café.
The restaurant did not immediately respond to calls and emails from
