An armed pair of men in primate masks robbed a Melrose Avenue shoe store of several pairs of women's Nike Air Jordans, police said. The crime was captured on security video (below).

The robbery in the 7800 block of Melrose Avenue,  right across the street from Fairfax High School, was reported at 12:50 p.m. yesterday, according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.

The store in question appears to be Melrose Athletic Supply, a small boutique that specializes in limited-edition and collectible kicks for a clientele it describes as “sneakerheads.”

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The department said one robber was in a monkey mask while the other donned a gorilla mask.

Both suspects were armed with semiautomatic handguns when, as seen on video, they trotted into the store with weapons raised, cops said.

According to the LAPD's statement, here's what happened:

The suspects threatened the store clerk with two semi-auto hand guns and stole numerous pairs of Nike Jordan Shoes for women. 

A store worker is seen chasing after them, apparently to no avail. Police weren't saying how much the shoes, stored in black boxes behind a counter, were worth.

The duo fled in a gray, “later model” Nissan Altima sedan that sported paper plates, according to the department.

The robbers were described as men in their early 20s, about 5 feet, 8 inches, 155 pounds. One “is seen on the video wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans, light blue gloves and a monkey face mask,” the LAPD stated.


The other “was wearing red shirt, blue jeans, light blue gloves and a gorilla mask,” according to the department.

Anyone with information on these alleged animals was asked to call police at 877-527-3247.

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