A 25-person mob committed an armed robbery at a jewelry store in San Ramon on Monday, ransacking the store and reportedly making off with $1 million worth of merchandise. The crime is part of a larger pattern repeating itself across California.
Heller Jewelry Store at the Bishop Ranch complex in San Ramon was robbed Monday afternoon in broad daylight by a large group of around 25 masked individuals, at least three of them armed with guns. As ABC 7 reports, and as seen in surveillance video, the thieves used crowbars to smash glass cases, and stole an estimated $1 million in jewels.
One of the armed suspects reportedly fired multiple rounds from inside the store in order to shatter the glass of a door to escape. The door apparently locked behind the suspects once they entered, which was a security feature of the store.
San Ramon police said Wednesday that they had arrested seven suspects so far, with the help of surveillance and drone video — and much like crimes like this that have happened around the Bay Area in recent years, the getaway vehicles are usually not hard to track down, and there are probably a half dozen or more in this case.
Officers with the San Ramon PD initiated a chase of some of the suspect vehicles, which were parked in a valet area about 100 feet from the store, but when speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, the chases were abandoned and drones were employed.
Oakland police assisted with four of the arrests, as ABC 7 reports, with three adults and a juvenile arrested in Oakland. Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies arrested three other adults at the Dublin BART station. The arrested suspects ranged in age from 17 to 31, and all seven are reportedly Oakland residents.
Lt. Mike Pistello of the San Ramon Police Department suggested that this was an experienced group, and that the crime required planning.
"This is not their first time doing something like this," Pistello tells ABC 7.
And, as the station subsequently reported, this heist is one of 30 similar jewelry store robberies in California since March.
Jewelry store security specialist Scott Guginsky tells ABC 7, "This is something I haven't seen in my 30-plus years of investigating jewelry crime with the NYPD, and 14 years with the Jewelers Security Alliance. I've never seen this level of violence."
Police point to the rising price of gold, which is now approaching $4,000 per ounce, as one reason the frequency of these heists has risen.
A smash-and-grab robbery involving a vehicle going through the front glass and a similarly large mob of suspects occurred September 5 at Kim Hung Jewelry in San Jose. And a group of thieves also smashed their way into Fine Jewelry inside a mall in Milpitas on September 10.
The community of San Ramon was disturbed enough by Monday's robbery that they were planning a rally this morning, as NBC Bay Area reports, calling on state and local leaders to take action.
Related: Union Square Chanel Store Rammed by Car In Apparent Smash-and-Grab Attempt
Video image via Heller Jewelry/San Ramon PD
