Nightclub Owner and Wife Tied, Robbed : Crime: Two men ambush restaurateur on his return from work and force him into his house. Robbery occurs while children sleep.

LAGUNA HILLS — Two armed men ambushed a nightclub owner arriving home from work early Friday, tied him and his wife up as two of their children slept in another room and escaped with $125,000 in cash and jewelry, according to police and family members.

Sheriff’s investigators said Everardo Godoy, 58, did not have time to turn off the ignition of his pickup when he arrived at his home in the 26000 block of Bridlewood Circle about 2:30 a.m.

Two robbers, who apparently had staked out the house, ordered him to get out of the vehicle and shoved him inside the house, Lt. Richard J. Olson of the Sheriff’s Department said.

The robbers, wearing stockings over their faces and armed with handguns, then awoke his wife, Herminia, 43, who was in an upstairs bedroom. After tying up the couple, the robbers demanded jewelry and cash from a home safe, along with watches and rings worn by the Godoys, said Lalo Godoy, 35, Everardo’s son.

The men then left in Everardo Godoy’s 1989 Nissan pickup, which was recovered near the intersection of Standard Street and Edinger Avenue in Santa Ana about 5:15 p.m.

Olson initially said the robbers escaped with $235,000 in cash and an additional $50,000 in jewelry. But late Friday, Lalo Godoy estimated the loss at $75,000 in cash and $50,000 in jewelry.

Lalo Godoy said his father, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in the United States for the past 45 years, speaks little English and made a mistake when he provided investigators with the initial estimate.

After the intruders left, the couple managed to free themselves and call 911. Their two teen-age children slept through the robbery and only awoke after police arrived, said Lalo Godoy, who lives in San Diego and was not present during the robbery.

The robbery created a stir in the upscale tract of Spanish-style homes located a stone’s throw from the posh Nellie Gail Ranch development.

Community leaders in the newly formed city, who had pushed for more police patrols when they met with representatives of the Sheriff’s Department earlier this week, expressed shock and concern.

“It’s very unusual for this neighborhood,” said Allan Songstad, an attorney and city councilman-elect who lives on the Nellie Gail side of Bridlewood Drive. “This shows we certainly have to make sure we have the correct level of police protection. That’s one of the main reasons we incorporated.”

Everardo Godoy declined to comment on the robbery.

But Lalo Godoy said his father often brings home cash from his restaurant and nightclub, which he declined to identify.

“Like a lot of Hispanic people, he keeps his money in his home safe,” Lalo Godoy said. “But this was money that also belonged to a friend.”

Lalo Godoy said his father and stepmother were “very disturbed” about the robbery, adding that his father was planning to sell his restaurant. “He is pretty shook up, his wife is pretty shook up,” he said. “He said he will probably sell his business and retire. At least that’s what he’s saying now.”

Neighbors on Bridlewood Drive described the Godoys as “pleasant people” and expressed outrage at the robbery.

“This scares me,” said a woman who asked that her name not be used.

Rod Tusa, 48, who moved into neighborhood about a week ago, said, “I know one thing. . . . I’ll be glad when my security system gets in.”

Melody Carruth, a city councilwoman-elect, said she was outraged that “this can happen in Laguna Hills. But as we become more urbanized, I believe these kinds of things can happen more and more in South County,” she said.

Times staff writer Davan Maharaj contributed to this report.