By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A LOCAL jewellery store was robbed of thousands of dollars in merchandise after two armed men committed a daring daylight heist.

According to police sources, employees and customers at Michael Anthony Jewellers in Palmdale were held at gunpoint on Wednesday at around 1pm.

Those in the store at the time told authorities that the culprits entered the establishment, pulled masks over their faces, and demanded that workers fill a pillow case with all the jewellery in the store. The men held them hostage with black handguns, eyewitnesses told police.

As the robbery unfolded, the store’s owner walked into the establishment. He was robbed of $300.

While the culprits made off with an assortment of jewellery, the total value of the stolen goods is not known. The Tribune made several unsuccessful attempts to speak with personnel at Michael Anthony.

The robbers, who were dressed in white shirts and blue jeans, fled the scene heading north in a gold Toyota Camry with a black bumper. One of the men wore a dark knitted mask and the other wore a camouflage mask.

Police later found a vehicle matching the description of the get-away car, engulfed in flames. A white cloth and camouflage mask was later found behind a church in the Kemp Road area.

Police are appealing to members of the public to come forward with any information they might have.