The Antelope Valley Times

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BLVD jewelry store robbed at gunpoint

by •

(Photo by LUIS MEZA)

LANCASTER – A downtown Lancaster jewelry store was robbed at gunpoint Friday morning, authorities said.

The armed robbery happened around 9 a.m. at Begue Jewelers at 630 Lancaster Boulevard.

“There were two suspects and a firearm was used,” said Lancaster Station deputy Miguel T. Ruiz. “There were no injuries to the business owner and an undisclosed amount of jewelry and valuables were taken.”

A description of the suspects was not immediately available Friday afternoon, and no further information was available on the robbery, Ruiz said.

“Everything else is still being held pending further investigation,” he said.

Anyone with information on this robbery is asked to call Lancaster Station detectives at 661-948-8466. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

74 comments for "BLVD jewelry store robbed at gunpoint"

  1. WOW! I’M AMAZED THAT THIS PARTICULAR CRIME HAS HAD THAT MUCH POWER! OVER EVERYONE, TO START DISCUSSING OUR CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE CITY OF LANCASTER, TALK ABOUT AIRING DIRTY LAUNDRY!! EEESSSHHHH! I FEEL FOR LORD REX! SHOULD WE START PLACING BETS THAT HE STARTS DRINKING AGAIN! LoL!

  2. Geez. Makes me seriously worried for my store and many others when I read stuff like this. Gotta make sure I pay for good security, I guess.

  3. Adam, you may want to go online and watch the Lancaster City Council meeting where the Mayor resigned from being on the redevelopment agency because he bought property in a redevelopment area. The verbal exchange with the city attorney is comical. It was a no-no for elected officials to buy property in redevelopment areas. But nothing was ever done about it. Ever wonder why?

  4. Adam, you most certainly can hire a company to do a business plan. Yes, you can do it yourself. You can also do a will yourself. Yet, if you have any kind of real assets you are far better off hiring an attorney to draft your will. I would never formulate a business plan without the advice of professionals. That’s just me. Many businesses have succeeded without hiring professionals to draft a business plan. Many more have failed.

  5. This is the AV Times*.

    *Antelope Valley

    So, why are so many comments centered on crime in Lancaster? Mayor Perris has said the ‘BLVD will be the safest place in the universe’.

    We should be exchanging recipes and sharing photos of our children and pets.

    But, no. I wonder if people will be discussing the problems expressed here at the next Lancaster council meeting, regarding the robbery at the jewelry store on the BLVD, and the effectiveness of LEAPS and bounds or whatever.

    Sounds like Lancaster residents have a lot of complaints to be addressed and it would help the whole Valley if the Lancaster leaders addressed them and corrected any things that aren’t working.

    Perris likes to stick his nose in the affairs of Palmdale and is insensitive to the concerns of Quartz Hill regarding the Walmart. He should focus on what’s not working and let the Farmer’s Market, Go-Kart races, parades and other things be handled by others who are smarter than he is.

    I can’t help picturing him at those conferences where he walks around people seated at tables listening to his big promotion talks while spinning his hands in circles like he’s doing the Samba. Everything he does is as a lawyer pleading a case to the jury. Not the best skill set for a mayor, is it?

    I rest my case.

    • Thanks once again for ignoring the dozens of businesses and City employees who CONCEIVED, PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED all of the above events with not so much as a peep from xәᴚ.
      It’s obvious you don’t know what you are talking about or you would be able to express your concerns toward the people who actually do coordinate these events.

      • Sorry, Adam, but you do benifit from being on the BLVD, I guess you have to take the good with the bad, the other business around town do just that, I don’t see any of them complaining…..I will spend my money at any other businesses in Lancaster before I spend a penny on the BLVD. there is nothing you guys are selling that I can not find somewhere else, sometimes at a better price…I am only one person and this is the way I can vote or protest, if Parris is going to build a Wall-Mart across our school, then this will be my small contribution. OH WHERE IS THE PLANE? THE PLANE? THE PLANE????

        • I’m guessing that Adam’s or any other business on the BLVD would be doing more business if they were located in or near the AV Mall or any other successful shopping center in the Valley.

          The BLVD is like an ugly daughter that the parents have to cajole or bribe a prospective groom to close his eyes and marry her.

          I actually liked driving down Lancaster Boulevard in the 90s, cause it was so much easier. Parking wasn’t an issue. Of course, it didn’t have a lot of traffic then.
          Now, it’s annoying. They should either take out the median parking or stagger the slots so every other car is facing the same way. It would mean fewer spaces but make the BLVD feel more open and more pleasant to drive. And, maybe limit it to compact cars in the median.

          The median parking is the most prominent feature of the BLVD. It looks like a car dealership or Walmart lot when full.

          There’s something called ‘form over function’ that best describes the planning of the BLVD.

        • No doubt we benefit from the events on the BLVD. That’s a major reason why we and many other new businesses moved to the BLVD in the first place.
          My point here is that Parks and Recreation not Rex Parris conceived and manages every aspect of these events. While some would argue that’s splitting hairs over the issue, I’m saying more times than not Rex has nothing to do with this kind of stuff. People that know what they are doing with the resources available are the ones managing Farmers market, Go-Kart races, parades and other things like the car shows and charity walks.

          Can I q

          • Stupid enter key..
            Can I quote you MG on Tuesday in my 3 minutes at the Council meeting?
            No Wal Mart because people don’t want to shop on the BLVD if Walmart is built in Quartz Hill.

            That’s a good one, but it’s a little short sided in that you shouldn’t shop anywhere in Lancaster if you want to have any relevance, but I understand the gesture.

            And actually I may have said this before, and it may sound really stupid to a lot of people, but we opened our business in Lancaster Specifically with the intent of being at least 1 grain of sand in the desert of tax revenues that go against the building of another WalMart in Lancaster.
            If the BLVD or Lancaster Market Place or Ave K Center, or 10th Center were all booming retail centers then there would be no reason for another WalMart for tax revenues needed by the City to pay down the $400-Million in debt.

            Bottom line is that we have done the research and have a very detailed business plan that shows that it is in fact the best place in Lancaster for a retail business. I could even argue that for the capital cost it’s better than even the Mall. There are restrictions as to what type of business can locate in the mall and seeing as how it’s private property they can even control the number of a given type of business.
            They don’t do second-hand merchandise so Vintage and Antiques are basically SOL when it comes to the mall. In our case there was a store in the Mall some years back and they failed to stay open because the capital required to maintain the necessary inventory is way more than one small time retailer can muster up. Additionally the apparel is made in the USA.. yea good luck finding that kind of product elsewhere.. is not produced in quantities that can easily support the kind of sales volume seen at the mall.
            It’s hard to believe, but businesses can fail due to being too successful also.

          • @Adam. I wrote before that if businesses are locating on the BLVD because it’s cheaper, then they will encounter the problems of a low-rent shopping area; skateboarders, robberies, seedy characters, etc.

            It’s a trade off that I guess you were willing to make.

            What happened to that new restaurant, whose name I can’t recall, that closed within the first year? Wasn’t there enough traffic to keep it going? I ate there once and it was nice but empty. Do they need to have a parade every day to draw the crowds?

            You do realize that it ain’t just me and MG and a few others who criticize the doings in Lancaster. I’m sure we represent many others who don’t come here and comment. You might want to listen for what works and what doesn’t and discontinue defending the BLVD all the time because that won’t bring in more customers by itself.

          • I would never hire you to do a business plan for me. I want numbers for my business. I want cars filled with people. Stand on the corner of 10th and K someday. The BLVD isn’t even close in terms of numbers. Unless your rent is heavily subsidized or dirt cheap, you’d better have a product that people can get no place else in the valley. Daisy’s Costumes is a great example. Probably the only place on the BLVD I would go out of my way to patronize. Fact of the matter is, there is nothing for me on the BLVD. It may be shopping Nirvana for some, but for most of us, it ain’t.

            Keep believing, though. The world needs believers.

          • Resident Cynic,
            You can’t really hire someone to write a business plan for you and if you do it will likely be flawed and not represent your true intent. Yes, you can hire companies for research information, but hiring someone to write a business plan is the first step to flawed business. Besides a business plan should not be viewed as a static document, but a constantly evolving plan for success. Even if it’s just reading and only a modification of a paragraph or two I update my business plan every quarter. I’m actually re-writing it again from scratch right now to reflect the demographic changes in the AV over the last year. If you knew how infinitesimal my business was it would be even more of a WTF moment for some, but then that’s just the way I do things.

            In our case you hit the nail on the head. We have exclusive rights to many of the products we retail and they are restricted by market zones preventing another business from selling the same brands as us in the community. There is another store like our store on Ave I and they have similar new styles, but not the same brand names as us. (Also all made in U.S.A clothing) The rent is on par with that of many non-mall commercial zones in the AV at around $1/sqft with some spots much less than that and some spots almost twice that. Our apparel is unique in that we are the only vintage clothing store in the AV and with new Rockabilly and Pin-up apparel that is all Made in U.S.A. You go find a pair of jeans made in the U.S.A. at the mall. You may have to go to Valencia to be successful if you don’t look hard enough.

          • William, It was Britney’s and they lacked the capital from the beginning to really make a go at it. It’s too bad because it was a neat idea for a restaurant. They opened up DEEP in the hole and then expected it to be Field of Dreams. Needless to say the bills came due and the landlord closed them down.
            Barone’s will be open on December 15th in that location so consider giving them the opportunity to earn your business.. (they are NOT moving off AVE I just expanding to a second location. And technically returning to the BLVD where they started in 1959)
            There are businesses opening and closing every month all over the AV, it’s no different on the BLVD. I think on my walk today there are 4 new places opening this month and only 1 closure. With both Simply Spoiled and Eat it Up (closed this month) spots now occupied by established businesses expanding on the BLVD.
            A bridal shop, Tuxedo shop and Flower shop, a ceramic craft store, a MMA clothing store, Italian food restaurant are all opening up. Those are either expansions or new businesses so it’s a positive gain in growth..

          • Dear Adam, you need find your reading glasses, I wrote “I will shop anywhere IN LANCASTER before I shop on the Blvd”. that said, why are we spending %90,000.00 a month on a spy plane when we are in debt at the tune of $400,000.00? I know that our property taxes are going to go up because of this, (I am no fool)but I was not aware that it was the excuse to build a Mall-Mart across our school, who do we see about these monies owed? who espend this money and on what?

      • @Adam. You’re right in one aspect of your claims. Rex doesn’t bother showing up for ANY of the activities his city sponsors. But then he’s made it clear that he’s wayyyy to important to be seen about town. I suspect he has a couple other homes, and only uses his Lancaster residence for local court dates.

      • Again Adam. Rex has been a divisive leader almost from day one. Although he may have nothing to do with the actual businesses OR any activities on the blvd, he has made is CRYSTAL CLEAR that it’s his baby. SURELY the businesses had SOME IDEA that he would cost them some customers? If they didn’t, I would have to ask what rock they have been under? Like everything, you place your bets and roll the dice. Those who invested picked a side. The jury is still out on whether it was a good bet or not! (I feel those on Rex’s blvd would do well to get rid of the parasite. Could be the best move they make!)

        • Whatever happened with that Chinese car company that Rex was trying to attract to Lancaster?

          When he was bragging about it, I imagined that the people from the company were thinking how they could take advantage of this sucker and Rex was thinking the same thing about them.

          He has been a big BSer about nearly everything. How are those solar houses selling? I haven’t heard much about them for a long time.

          Let’s face it, Palmdale will be the PREMIER city in the Antelope Valley from now on. Land is more valuable and Lancaster will continue on its low rent path. Part of that is geography and part is smart planning and Lancaster, well, loses on both counts.

          • I think the Chinese decided they could make things cheaper in China. I dont know what REXXY was thinking, he should have tried to get a US company here to do business, but then again California has become so unfriendly twords business, I would not start a business here based on taxes and environmental issues with the state.

          • That could have more to do with the fact that Visco (and gang) own most of the ground in Lancaster proper.
            I imagine most everything done has been to “up” the price of ground, artificially or otherwise. Thus with a little hype, Visco than leases instead of sells.
            And it was working, that is until it got out that the emperor (Rex) has no clothes.
            The empire is now looking a little shaky.
            A bit run down.
            And in some sever debt.
            There was a reason they fought so hard to keep those redevelopment funds.
            If I lived in Lancaster, I would be keeping a close eye on those new measure L funds. The ones the “no new tax” boys voted for.
            Remember. Measure R was never spent for it’s original intent.

          • @Frank Rizzo,

            When I moved to Palmdale in the early 90s, I had to go to Lancaster for nearly everytime, a TV at Duke n Slim’s, a bed at the old Sears, doctors, ate at the old Cakes and Company and Tony Roma’s (imagine that, Tony Roma’s). Now, all gone.

            But, during that time w/o knowing the politics, I felt that the way shopping areas were scattered around town with no real planning apparent, I thought that the powers were simply serving their own interests. Little did I know how correct I was.

            Ultimately, by serving their own best interests, it allowed Palmdale to eventually prevail with its amenities and shopping.

            If the powers would have focused on what’s best for the residents of Lancaster, the Mall might have been there instead of that MarketPlace thing and the powers would be even richer.

            Selfish. Selfish. Selfish.

    • TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER WALMART!!! =
      SOMEONES POCKET GETTING FILL WITH $$$, MORE CRIME TO THE AREA, NONE UNION WORKERS AND HOMELESS PEOPLE TO THE AREA! WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER ONE IN THE WEST SIDE!!! YALL CAN KEEP IT!!!

  7. I feel bad for the business owner’s that had no choice, but to have Lancaster Blvd. changed to please the Mayor and his cronies. I’m sure there are select business on the BLVD that get more vigilance (friends and lovers of Mayor, etc.)

    • I think that there are businesses that get more attention, but not because of the Mayor – it’s because they are owned or invested in by the major developer (InSite) on the BLVD. The mayor does not own property that is supplemented by redevelopment money. It’s against the law, since he would have voted on whether funds would be used on those properties.
      Yes, people always want to suggest that he does, but if there was any evidence of that it would have been used long ago to have him removed from office and possibly prosecuted – City of Bell style.

      • I think that the lord mayor has done so much damage to his reputation simply by opening his big mouth 1,000 times too many.

        By now, even if he is doing everything legally, he’s lost a lot of trust and/or respect from many in the entire Valley.

        You might want to tell him that instead of directing you ire at the people criticizing him.

        I think that the recent election loss of Ron Smith is an fu to the mayor as well. There have been a few such letters to the AV Press in the last few weeks. They don’t like Smith or the mayor.

      • That didn’t stop him from buying the McMahon’s building. That property was in the redevelopment area. Look it up.

        • Being in a redevelopment zone and having redevelopment money used for development of said property are two different things. At one time when we still had redevelopment zones a vast majority of the commercial property in this valley was in specialized zones.

          It does suck that the reputation is what it is, because ultimately it only hurts the hard working business owners and not those who were responsible for building such a reputation.
          Just like that if you don’t like what I have to say then don’t cater to my business – I totally understand – but don’t take it out on the rest of the hard working businesses that don’t share my opinions.

          • @Adam. I’ve used the terms ‘what works’ and ‘what doesn’t work’ at times to describe the BLVD.

            I don’t think the design of the median parking works nor the lack of stop signs the entire length.

            Each intersection gives me pause and I watch carefully for pedestrians walking from the median between cars or if cars will suddenly back out in front of me or dart through the intersections.

            As for Bex. The hard, urban look of it isn’t all that welcoming although some people think it’s cool. The patio wouldn’t look out of place at a truck stop on the I-5. Check out Claim Jumper’s patio at the Mall. It’s great.

            There is a strange mix of charming little shops on the north side where Pour d’Vino is with the outdoor seating but then the pedestrian unfriendly looks of the LPAC, the library and the sheriff’s station. Grey concrete anyone?

            I don’t know if it’s going for an modern, urban, high density look and feel or an quaint small time one.
            The mix is odd, although, it appears that the businesses have spent money to make things appealing.

            Once it’s fully built out in the future, the traffic and parking will be a real pain. I’ve had the occasion to go down below several times recently and the BLVD reminds me of how LA just builds stuff right up to the property lines with little open space or setbacks and it’s oppressive.

            When it became a city, West Hollywood gave Santa Monica Boulevard the BlVD treatment with trees and center medians, etc. It’s a pain to drive down it from Highland to La Cienega because of all that. As I drove it, I thought maybe Perris and Smith were recreating West Hollywood in the desert.

            What I love about the Antelope Valley is the wide-open spaces and ease of driving and parking with little congestion. The BLVD recreates that congested feeling in the middle of the Valley’s spaciousness. I guess it’s just me that that doesn’t appeal to. When I was younger, I liked noisy, crowded clubs but not so much now.

  8. That female deputy is Hottttt, what’s her name? Maybe AV Times won’t delete this comment. You guys are ridiculous with deleting comments.

      • TALKING ABOUT THAT ANNOYING PLANE!!! SO WERES A REPORT ON HOW MANY CRIMES HAVE THEY STOPPED!!! HEY PERRIS GET OFF YO LAZZY BUTT YU AN THE WHOLE REX TEAM AN Y’ALL SHOULD BE OUT THERE TALKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THIS CITY A SAFFER PLACE TO LIVE!!!!
        BETTER YET ” DON’T TALK ABOUT IT, BE ABOUT IT”” HANDLE IT PLAYER!!

        • Yes, the Rex patrol needs to stop neglecting the rest of Lancaster. This jewelry store is not far from the L.A. County Sheriff office so what’s up with that oh no. I have no idea as to whom is keeping track of what the spy plane has achieved so far because there is too much crime going on. Mayor Rex, the rest of Lancaster is neglected. Why?

  11. What happened to the Blvd. Deputy program we’re paying for? We lost our Community Service Officers to pay for the program? The Blvd is filled with homeless, the vagrants, crime and soon worse. King Rex and his little dog Smith should come out without escort around 7am and “enjoy” their creation.

  12. What a shame! I shop there all the time. They’ve done excellent work on my jewelry. The last time I shopped there you had to ring a bell to get in. Their doors were always locked. So how did the robbers get in? Was the bell broken? Was the door unlocked? SMH

    • Lies! These are all lies! The bearded one says the Blvd. is safe and that’s that! There are no vagrants there, merely former council members resting while weary. And to make certain all is well for all you disbelievers, Fearless Former Deputy Smith, with ample time on his hands now that he was cheated through voter fraud from becoming an assemblyman, will personally patrol the Blvd. in order to insure the peace is kept.

  13. WOWSER!!! ANOTHER STORE ROB AT GUN POINT!!! REX NEEDS TO REALLY START CLEANING OUT THIS CITY!!!

  14. We need a brigade to keep this town safe. Who would want to open small business here? Invest so much just to get burglarized. No wonder the economy is so bad out here. We need action to turn this community around.

    • I feel for the business owners on the BLVD as I’m guessing that the rent is more affordable than, say, at the AV Mall or the surrounding shopping centers but, then again, when the rent is cheaper……………

      It’s kind of a bind. If the residential neighborhoods on either side of the BLVD are the source of some of the problems, what to do?

      Did they think of that when they planned it or what? Or are they planning to use eminent domain to raze everything within a block or two on either side and build million dollar condos?

      In other cities that have a similar main street, they usually have parallel streets with additional commercial properties of the same type. Milling has a few businesses but not it’s not the type of street that invites pedestrian traffic for strolling and window shopping. Maybe in the future.

      • I lived for 25 years in that neighborhood. I still own a house there. There’s no more crime there than there is in any other area in Lancaster. The crime happens there because the businesses are there.

        • I based that on crime reports in the AV Press. Most are clustered around Lancaster Blvd. east of the 14. Same on Palmdale Blvd. east of the 14.

          In today’s Press, crimes reported November 22, there were none in Lancaster west of the 14 or in Quartz Hill.

          • West Lancaster and West Palmdale should become their own cities so we don’t have East side stats skewing things.

  15. It is a good thing we have LEAPS.If we did not have LEAPS then jewelry stores would be robbed in broad daylight.What?What?A jewelry store was robbed in broad daylight?Where was LEAPS?Where was LEAPS?Was it in the air?Was it on the ground?Who cares.We spend $90,000.00 a month for LEAPS.LEAPS is useless.$90,000.00 a month would put boots on the ground.We need boots on the ground.The BLVD would be safer with boots on the ground.The BLVD does not need LEAPS.We do not need LEAPS.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.Yes to boots on the ground.$90,000.00 a month for LEAPS.Waste of money.Waste of money.

        • LEAPS… Laughable Experiment At Patrolling Streets. Now don’t we all feel safe. Now we all know why the city wouldn’t allow the press inside the sales presentation of LEAPS on Wednesday at LPAC. Its an EPIC failure.

          • I was trying to come up with a good phrase that LEAPS stood for but you beat me to it.

            I wonder if ReX and the council, including former candidate Ron Smith, will make course corrections or simply double-down on their existing notions no matter if they work or not.

    • Why do people here always spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives?

  16. Some readers were stating crimes were down. From what I see crimes are up. And this happened just down the street from the cop shop!

    • Yeah, a jewelry store or a bank really should locate right next door to a donut shop.

      Remember folks, ReX said that the BLVD will be the ‘safest place in the universe’. Apparently, that was in his ALTERNATE universe.

      This was bound to happen just to prove Big Mouth wrong………..again.

      • Cops dont eat donuts anymore, thats a old cliche.

        I love going to the “BLVD” and watching the druggies, they are actually entertaining to watch. It just gets annoying when the panhandlers come up asking if I have any change.

      • William you do realize that Rex does not have any stake in Bex? It’s partially funded with redevelopment money and that would be the most obvious evidence of conflict of interest ever.
        Your letter play is an obvious attempt to imply some shared ownership and that is just not the case. Bex is owned by InSite Development and not Rex. Suggesting otherwise would be an insult to Bex..

        • It was a play on the similarity of the two words. If I knew how to do it I would reverse the ‘R’ as in ‘Toys ‘R’ Us.

          There. Happy now?

          • Я It’s the extended character code so you can’t as easily type an ALT+number.
            Either use
            Character Map or copy and past the one I put here.

            Яex

            ^^ Hopefully the code parser on this form doesn’t delete these extended characters.. IF it doesn’t look right ignore this post.

          • InSite Development is a commercial developer much like Westfields or ForestCity, which purchase and develop multiple properties in a downtown area.
            The difference between InSite and the other two are that the other two own many malls along with downtown districts. 3rd Street, Valencia Town Center, and most malls in are owned by WestFields. ForestCity for example owns Victoria Gardens and the Antelope Valley Mall along with a number of residential properties.
            They are all commercial developers who make their money in retail and commercial properties.

      • Better yet the jewelry shop should sell doughnuts. When was the last time you saw one robbed at gunpoint.