Crooks crashed a car through a jewelry store entrance in a brazen, broad-daylight smash-and-grab heist caught on surveillance and cellphone video Friday afternoon in Southern California.
The Anaheim Police Department said officers responded to Classic Jewelers on East Santa Ana Canyon Road around 2:30 p.m., KTLA-TV reported.
‘My life flashed before my eyes.’
Employees told police that multiple suspects intentionally rammed a dark-colored Nissan Rogue into the front of the business to gain entry and steal jewelry, the station said.
“Eight to 10 guys run in with masks, trash cans, and crowbars, hammers, and smash every showcase,” the store owner told KTTV-TV.
The owner added to KABC-TV that he told the crooks “‘I have a gun. Get out. I have a gun.”
Well, they allegedly took the gun, too.
“My gun was on the table. They grabbed my gun, and at that point I thought I was going to get shot,” the owner recalled to KTTV.
“My life flashed before my eyes,” he added to KTLA.
RELATED: Video: Masked smash-and-grab robbers don’t look so scary when jewelry store owner pulls his gun and opens fire
The store owner said the group got away with about $1 million in gold and jewelry, as well as his gun, KTLA noted.
“They took everything within a matter of a minute,” he recounted to KTTV. “This is our livelihood.’
The suspects then fled in two Dodge Charger sedans, police told KTLA, adding that the Nissan used to plow through the store’s entrance — which was stolen — was driven from the scene.
But one thing ultimately worked in the jewelry store’s favor: An employee recorded cellphone video of the escaping vehicles — and their license plates were on the clip.
Subsequently, cops were on the lookout and soon caught up to the cars.
Police told KTLA one of the cars was involved in a multi-vehicle collision, and all four occupants — the driver and three passengers — fled but were soon located and arrested.
Then an Anaheim Police Department air unit located what was believed to be the second suspect vehicle — and that car also was involved in a multi-vehicle crash, police told KTLA. Immediately two males believed to be involved in the jewelry store heist were arrested, and a handgun was recovered at the scene, police added to the station.
Police found trays loaded with stolen jewelry in one of the cars, KTTV said.
Two additional males were arrested hours later in the rear yards of separate residences, police added to KTLA.
RELATED: Cops make progress after mob of violent, hammer-wielding thugs pull off brazen smash-and-grab robbery in broad daylight
Police told KTLA a total of eight suspects — all of whom are under the age of 24 — were identified as:
- Jose Andres Martinez-Colindres, 24, of Inglewood
- Leontrey Gipson, 23, of Los Angeles
- Deondre Jones, 23, of Los Angeles
- Tylaind Brown, 20, of Compton
- Khilen Toles, 20, of Inglewood
- Khamari Toles, 20, of Inglewood
- Latrell Mathews, 19, of Los Angeles
A 17-year-old male from Los Angeles also was among the arrestees, KTLA said.
The seven adult suspects were booked on suspicion of multiple felonies, pending review by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, police told KTLA, adding that the juvenile was released to a guardian pending further proceedings.
Several uninvolved motorists were hospitalized in the two vehicle crashes, KTLA reported, adding that their injuries were “non-life-threatening.”
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