Armed robber targets local pizzeria

An armed perpetrator carrying a handgun robbed a pizzeria in the 5200 block of South Mission Road in Bonsall at 9 p.m. on August 16. Authorities said the suspect was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and mask at the time of the crime.

Witnesses told authorities the perpetrator was a male in his early twenties, around 195 pounds and roughly six feet tall. Because of the mask, his race was undetermined.

“There were customers there at the time who also got robbed and they incurred about $35 loss,” said Detective Lauhon, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The amount stolen from the restaurant remains undisclosed.

Lauhon maintains that prior to the opening of nearby casinos there were few robberies in the area. “But very soon after the casinos opened, armed robberies basically went through the roof,” said Lauhon. Suspects in recent robbery investigations have told Lauhon that they committed these crimes to acquire money to gamble at the casinos and/or because of the money they had lost at the casinos.

“There is also a direct correlation” between the suspects and methamphetamine use, shared Lauhon. “The main reason they gamble is to get more money for the drugs.”

Many of these criminals hope to win big bucks so they can buy more narcotics. However, when the suspects lose their drug money at the casinos, they get it back by committing robberies on the way home. Some of these perpetrators may even travel from the Los Angeles area, and Bonsall is relatively close to the 15 and 5 freeways.

“I know for a fact that robberies have gone up as a direct result of the casinos being in the area,” said Lauhon.

The owner of the pizzeria said it is highly regrettable that the safety and security of Bonsall is starting to vanish. “We need to do something to get that security back,” she said. Other nearby establishments have been recently targeted, making this particular business owner more concerned.

As of press time, the landlord of this plaza had not contacted the restaurant. “It’s unfortunate that they haven’t even approached us or talked to us about what happened,” the pizzeria owner said. She wants to make official arrangements to speak with the landlord in regard to how security could be improved.

The owner also contends that perhaps a camera system might be a good option for their establishment, as well as for other nearby retailers who are open in the late hours. It may also be a deterrent for potential perpetrators.

Lauhon is a big proponent of high-quality video cameras for security. Excellent cameras can relay skin color, tattoos, clothing emblems and other aspects to help solve a crime. “Many of the robberies we have solved have been solved because of video cameras,” said Lauhon.

Bud Alles, the plaza’s landlord, has not made a statement in regard to the August 16 robbery.