A gun store in El Cajon was robbed by three masked suspects armed with a fake gun Friday afternoon, officials confirmed.
The robbery happened around 2:15 p.m. at Hiram’s Guns & Spirits at 660 S. Magnolia Ave.
El Cajon Police said one of the suspects, armed with a replica handgun, held the store's employee at gunpoint as the two others smashed a display case with a hammer and grabbed several real handguns.
The suspects fled in a red sedan, the employee told 911 dispatchers.
A short time later, El Cajon and La Mesa police officers tried to pull over a car matching the description on Interstate 8.
The vehicle pulled off in La Mesa, and after a few quick turns, the car ran into a dead end off Fletcher Parkway. Multiple police vehicles blocked the car in when the suspects tried to turn around.
Three people -- two juveniles and one adult -- were arrested after officers searched their car and found the stolen handguns, replica gun and masks, police say.
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All three face felony charges of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The driver, 20-year-old Mykeon D. Menefee, was also be charged with felony evasion, among 14 counts.
Menefee was booked into the San Diego County Jail, while the two juveniles were booked into the Juvenile Detention Center.
Menefee is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
No injuries were reported in the robbery, but the owner of the shop was extremely shaken up by the ordeal, according to his friend and witness, Robert Foster.
Foster told NBC 7 that he was near the gun shop when he saw the suspects running away heading down an alley. He then saw them take off in the red car.
Foster realized his friend who owns the gun shop had been robbed and quickly called 911.
When he went inside the shop, he said there was a lot of broken glass in and around the showcases and four or five firearms were missing.
Foster said he was shocked by the robbery.
“I never thought it would happen to this shop right here because it’s been here for a while,” he said.
The incident remains under investigation. Check back for updates on this developing story.
