Two men - one of them in drag - rob Covina jewelry store

COVINA -- A robber wearing a multi-colored floral dress and an accomplice in a suit coat robbed a jewelry store Friday and tied up the owner and an employee.
Covina police Sgt. Gregg Peterson said the suspects posed as customers to get inside Legacy Jewelers. He said one has to be buzzed in to enter the store at 115 N. Citrus Ave.
"They probably wanted to give the impression they were a couple shopping," Peterson said, adding that the suspects asked about jewelry.
The takeover robbery happened at 12:50 p.m. Police said there were no other customers inside the store.
One of the robbers pulled a gun and took one of the victims to the back of the store, according to Peterson. The second robber did the same to the other victim.
Both victims were then bound.
He said the robbers left with a substantial amount of jewelry. The exact value hasn't been determined yet.
The victims were able to untie themselves and hit the alarm. As they came running out of the store, Peterson said there happened to be an officer in the area at the time.
Sgt. Trevor Gaumer said the victims are convinced one of the robbers was a man dressed as a woman. The suspect was described as a black man with braided hair, 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 200 pounds and of heavy build.
The police report didn't say if the floral dress was short or long.
The other robber was described as a black man, clean shaven, 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds and wearing a suit coat.
Gaumer said the victims ended up with scratches and bruising from being tied up.
- From Staff Writer Ruby Gonzales