English Class Robbed at Gunpoint

Los Angeles: Two masked gunmen robbed a classroom full of adults last night, January 31, 2007, as they were learning English at the Sun Valley Polytechnic High School.

At about 8:30 PM, two men wearing ski masks burst into the classroom. While one man held the teacher at gunpoint, the gunman’s partner collected the students’ property in a bag. The two robbers left the school on Roscoe Boulevard without disturbing any other classes in progress.

"This type of robbery is quite rare," said Lieutenant Paul Vernon. "The night schools are quite popular and rarely have any reported crime problems. We’ve had no similar robberies in recent memory."

Witnesses described both men as Hispanic, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and just over 200 pounds. No clothing or car descriptions were available.

None of the students, nor the teacher was injured.

The school is located in the 12400 block of Roscoe Boulevard.

Anyone with information is asked to call North Hollywood Robbery Detectives James Gerardi or Carlos Figueira at 818-623-4045. On weekends and during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855). Callers may remain anonymous.