(Bad) Luck of the Irish

After 3:00 a.m. in front of the O.B. International Hostel on July 22, a trio of female holiday-makers from Dublin, Ireland, were robbed at gunpoint.

The women, all in their 20s, said they were talking on the steps of the building when a gray Toyota pulled up. Two men got out of the car and confronted them. One man remained in the car. All the men were wearing hoodies and bandannas. One of them aimed a gun at one of the women and then pushed it into her face and demanded her bag.

SDPD lieutenant Andra Brown said the tourist initially thought it was a joke and refused, but she "got the picture" when he began to use harsh language and then pushed the gun forcefully against her cheek and threatened to shoot her.

The robbers got away with the women's purses, then returned to the car and drove off. The car is said to closely match the description of one stolen earlier in the day from National City; during the theft, the owner was shot five times in the back.

According to police, the assailants are said to be black males between the ages of 20 and 25; one of them is short, the other over six feet tall.