Laura Bucio
Staff Writer
About 30 members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity witnessed an armed robbery at the Denny’s Diner on Foothill Blvd. at about 1:30 a.m. Monday.
The diner was held up at gunpoint by two men, La Verne Police Department spokesman Nick Paz said.
The two men entered the diner wearing black ski masks and carrying guns.
One robbed the cash register, while the other forced all the people in the building to lie down on the floor, Paz said.
“They were only there a few minutes but it felt like it dragged on forever,” said Brian Ortega, president of Phi Delta Theta.
One of the men was yelling and telling everyone in the building to get on the ground, Ortega said.
“You could hear pounding on the walls,” said Joseph Valencia, a member of the fraternity who was also there with Ortega.
Other members of the fraternity ran into the robber when they were coming out of the bathroom, Valencia said.
“It was all very scary,” said Cody Black, who ran into the robber. “He just kept telling us to get on the ground.”
After the robbers got the cash register money, they ran out of the building through the side door, Ortega said.
Police arrived quickly after the robbers left.
“It all seems very strange,” Ortega said.
The suspects did not attempt to rob other people at the Denny’s they just took the money in the register and left.
“I think we interfered with their plans,” Valencia said. “It was probably better that we were there.”
No suspects have been arrested.
“The case has been forwarded to detectives,” Paz said.
Laura Bucio can be reached at laurab2003@hotmail.com.
