Crime & Safety
Suspects Sought in Attempted Robbery at Belmont Smoke Shop
Two men ran away empty-handed after they saw a customer call police.
Belmont police asked for the public's help this week in finding two men who tried to rob a local smoke shop.
Belmont Police Captain Patrick Halleran says the attempted robbery happened around 9 p.m. on Friday, June 27, at the Belmont Smoke Shop in the 300 block of El Camino.
According to the captain, the owner of the shop had opened a back door at the location for ventilation purposes, which is where the two suspects entered.
"One of the suspects brandished a dark semi-automatic handgun at the store owner and demanded money," Halleran said in a news release.
That's when a 70-year-old man who was a customer at the shop ran outside, and called 911. The suspects saw him do this, and ran back out the back door without getting a dime.
"Belmont Police arrived on-scene within a minute of the call and conducted an area search for the suspects, which included assistance from a airplane from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office," Halleran said. "In spite of an extensive search, the suspects were not located."
Halleran described both men as Hispanic, about 5 foot 6 inches tall, with medium builds. Both of them had on dark clothing and masks.
"A black air-soft type replica handgun and a pair of black sweatpants were found discarded a short distance from the store," according to the captain.
Anyone with information related to this attempted robbery is asked to call Belmont police at (650) 595-7400.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.