Solana Beach restaurant robbed; two suspects in custody

SOLANA BEACH - Two suspects in an armed robbery in Solana Beach were in custody today while a third remained at large, a sheriff’s sergeant said.

Brian Lewis, 28, and Kim Philpot, 32, were arrested at an Escondido home hours after they allegedly robbed Blanca Restaurant at 437 S. Highway 101 around noon Thursday, said San Diego County sheriff’s Sgt. Marc Ramirez.

Lewis, Philpot and an unknown third man allegedly walked into the restaurant and demanded cash. According to Ramirez, one of the men pistol-whipped an employee, who was cut on his head.

The men fled in a green vehicle with a loud muffler, and minutes later, deputies found it abandoned at Border Street and South Highway 101, Ramirez said.

Security guards at the Del Mar Fairgrounds later spotted the three men on foot and notified sheriff’s officials, who called Carlsbad and Oceanside police to help comb the area by air and land, the sergeant said.

The men were able to run away, but authorities checked the registration of the abandoned getaway vehicle and found Lewis and Philpot at the registered owner’s home in Escondido, Ramirez said.