A nurse is shaken after being taken at gunpoint during a brazen midday robbery in Sherman Oaks on Monday.
The victim, who wishes to be identified only by his first name, Pavlo, said his Rolex was taken from him after a minor traffic accident near Van Nuys Boulevard and Huston Street.
Pavlo said he was driving on Van Nuys Boulevard with his arm hanging out the window when he was pulled into a red light.
“My arm was [hanging out the] window open on the carl, so [the] Rolex was visible,” he said.
After stopping in Huston Street to exchange information with the driver of the car that hit his vehicle, a white Mercedes, Pavlo was instead confronted by three men claiming his watch, two of whom were armed with guns.
“I’m a big guy, 6’5”, who can defend himself, but when you’re holding at gunpoint, you feel bad, you understand that if you’re going to get up and move, you’re going to get a bullet and your life will probably be gone,” Pavlo said.
After the theft, Pavlo drove to a nearby auto shop, Anytime Auto Group, which provided security camera footage of the incident.
At all times, owner Vitaly Tsymbalov said the suspects were gone the moment Pavlo entered the store.
“It’s pretty amazing that things like this happen in this neighborhood during the day,” Tsymbalov said.
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident, although they are not releasing details of what they have found so far except to say the robbers are still at large.
In the meantime, Pavlo is encouraging other SoCal residents to stay aware of their surroundings so they aren’t the next victim of armed robbery.
“This incident just happened to me and it could happen to anyone. That’s why I want to share my experience. Everyone, be careful,” Pavlo said.
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