Sherman Oaks

Thieves Target Man Over Rolex by Crashing Into His Car and Holding Him Up at Gunpoint in Sherman Oaks

The crash-and-grab theft happened Monday off Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.

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A man says he was intentionally rear ended and then robbed at gunpoint by thieves who had their eyes on his watch.

Paul, who asked to be identified only by his first name, is furious, angry and disgusted about becoming a victim and losing something important to him. It happened Monday around 2:30 p.m. as he was heading up Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.

Someone rear ended him. And like any good driver, he pulled over at the curb on Houston Street.

Paul said he accidentally pushed the video button on his phone instead of the photo button and recorded the incident.

Three men from the other car, a white Mercedes, two of them holding handguns, got out. They demanded the Rolex Paul bought for himself 15 years ago to commemorate his new job as a registered nurse.

It was on his left wrist, the one he often hung out the window of his car. To replace it would cost $15,000 to $20,000.

What the robbers didn’t know is that Paul's phone caught this glimpse of two of them and a surveillance camera at a nearby business.

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Paul, who stands 6 foot 5 and weighs 300 pounds, says he was furious in that moment but he knew to keep calm.

He hopes the images can help can help police find the gunmen or, at least someone can recognize their voices.

No arrests were reported Thursday.

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