Santa Ana : 3 Men Handcuffed in Recording Studio Heist

Two musicians and the owner of a recording studio were handcuffed and put in a storage vault early Monday by a pair of gun-toting thieves in ski masks, who stole recording equipment worth $75,000, police said.

The three were leaving the Sound Affair at 2727 S. Croddy Way about 3:30 a.m. when two men confronted them, Police Sgt. Dick Faust said.

Lisa Haley, a manager at the studio, said later that the three men had been herded into a storage vault for recording tapes. Two of them were handcuffed back-to-back, Haley said.

She said a third man was handcuffed but managed 2 1/2 hours later to kick open a door and run to a neighboring business, where someone removed a tape gag so he could call police. Haley said the three had “waited awhile before trying to get out” to make sure the intruders had left.