Costa Mesa store manager robbed of $32,000

A Costa Mesa 7-Eleven manager was robbed at gunpoint Monday morning as she was taking about $32,000 of the store’s money to a bank, police said.

The 30-year-old Santa Ana resident told police that around 9:50 a.m. she was in the alley behind the convenience store at Orange Avenue and East 17th Street, said Sgt. Zach Hoferitza.

A man approached with a handgun and told her to exit her vehicle, according to police.

When she got out, the man, wearing black clothing and a mask, pushed her away and took the car and the money, Hoferitza said.

Police found the vehicle, a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, soon afterward. It was abandoned about a block and a half away, police said.

The store manager, who was not injured, told police she believed two men were involved because she heard two car doors shut. She did not see a second man, Hoferitza said.

Police will examine surveillance video and the Malibu for evidence, Hoferitza said.