Masked Gunmen Flee Arleta Store After Failed Robbery

A gang of men dressed in black, ninja-style clothing briefly took over a San Fernando Valley market early Friday but fled when they were unable to carry out a robbery, police said.

Six masked men armed with shotguns and semiautomatic handguns entered Smith’s Food and Drug in Arleta shortly after midnight and chased 10 employees and customers, who scattered down the aisles, Detective Ray Broker said.

One customer was slightly injured when he was struck with a gun, Broker said. Several employees were taken to the store’s safe but were unable to open it, and the gunmen fled through a back door without taking anything.

About the same time, several customers ran out the front door and flagged down a police car. A special weapons team was called to the scene but the robbers were not found, Broker said.