A group of masked robbers, some armed with guns, attacked a San Francisco-area jewelry store in a chaotic smash-and-grab.
Approximately 20 masked individuals entered Hellers Jewelry on Monday afternoon and began smashing open display cases to steal the jewelry inside, according to the San Ramon Police Department.
Surveillance video released by the police shows at least two people with handguns first entering the store, weapons drawn, as a flood of others follow them inside.
There were some who went straight to the display cases with hammers and crowbars, whacking at the glass until they could yank the tops off the case. Several suspects could be seen wielding pickaxes.
Others stood by with empty bags and some appeared unsure where to go, getting turned around as their fellow suspects rushed to get to different displays.
Police said the suspects fled the scene in cars that were waiting in the valet parking area. Officers attempted to pursue the cars but “terminated due to the inherent danger to the public and because air support was available.”
Law enforcement tracked the cars through Contra Costa County into nearby Alameda County.
“Several suspects have been detained at two locations in Oakland and a second location in Dublin,” police said.
Local business owners and community members planned a rally for Thursday morning to demand more be done to prevent these kinds of thefts, NBC Bay Area reported.
Edward Escobar, from the Coalition for Community Engagement, told NBC Bay Area that the group will not “stand by while violence and lawlessness go unchecked.”
“This is not about just one store — it’s about the safety and survival of entire communities,” Escobar said.
California voters recently passed Proposition 36, which would empower prosecutors to charge repeat theft suspects with felonies.
But the proposition did not include funding.
State lawmakers asked in April that somewhere between $250 million and $400 million annually be allocated in budget appropriations for funding Prop 36, according to the Sacramento Bee. California Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected the funding request in his May budget proposal
