Shop Owners Complain of Vulnerability : Crime: Holders of Subway sandwich franchises say company’s demand for late hours makes them targets for criminals.

A day after two teen-agers were shot to death in an early morning robbery of a Subway sandwich shop in Northridge, other franchise owners in the San Fernando Valley said Monday that a requirement to keep their stores open late makes them prime crime targets.

James White and Brian Berry, both 19, were shot and killed Sunday by a robber wielding a handgun at the sandwich shop at Zelzah Avenue and Devonshire Street, Los Angeles police said.

Subway officials acknowledged Monday that some store owners may be edgy about staying open until 2 a.m. on weekends, but added that the company allows shops to close early if business is slow, or the risk of robbery is high.

Some shop owners say they want to close early to protect their employees from late-night robbers. Company officials maintain that the operating hours are part of the franchise agreement each owner signed.

White was preparing to close between 1:20 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. and was talking to Berry, a friend who stopped by, when a gunman entered and demanded money, police said. Although White and Berry apparently handed over all the money from the cash register and a floor safe, the robber shot both men in the head before escaping with about $520, police said.

Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson said he will ask the City Council today to approve a $25,000 reward for the killer’s arrest. Subway has posted a $10,000.

Since last July, 48 Subway stores in the city have been robbed, five of them in the Devonshire Division, where Sunday’s shooting occurred, police said.

Detectives said Sunday’s killings do not appear to be related to the other crimes. Nonetheless, owners of the 50 or so Subway stores in the Valley are nervous. They arranged a meeting with police Monday night to discuss what to do in case of a robbery.

Stuart Schlosser, owner of the store where Smith and Berry were killed, said he felt uneasy about keeping his store open late, but felt reassured because the police station is less than half a mile away.

Ruth Sender, president of OhCal Foods Inc., of Woodland Hills, which oversees Subway franchises in the county, said the shooting has prompted discussions about whether to allow shopkeepers to close early.

“It’s being talked about,” she said, declining further comment.