A group of smash-and-grab robbers stole 23 luxury watches worth about $250,000 from a Southern California jeweler in under half a minute. Newport Beach Police said the crime took place on September 8th after 4pm. Four suspects ransacked the front display at the Jewelers located at 149 Riverside Ave. in Newport Beach, CA.
Police are searching for a group of robbers who targeted a jewelry shop in Newport Beach last week, taking off with a quarter million dollars worth of luxury watches.
Newport Beach police say that the incident happened back on Sept. 8 just after 4 p.m., when four suspects ransacked the front display at Jewelers on Time, located on 149 Riverside Avenue.
The entire ordeal took just 20 seconds, with the thieves taken nearly two dozen Rolex watches, estimated to be worth $250,000.
KCAL News spoke with the employee working during the robbery. He says that he had buzzed in a customer, who can be seen in surveillance footage from the store wearing a white t-shirt.
“He held the door open and three other accomplices came in, smashing display cases,” the employee said, referring to the locked steel security door, which requires each customer to get buzzed in by an employee.
The following video shows the smash-and-grab thieves entering the store before smashing the glass cases with what appeared to be a hammer. The thieves then grab 23 Rolex watches and run out of the shop in about 23 seconds or so.
The image below shows one of the shattered cases at the store.
Smash and grabs have become a common crime in California. With lax laws and prosecutors who won’t take responsibility to go after these criminals, this is the end result.
In August, Gateway had reported about a smash and grab at a Macy’s in Los Angeles that involved 9 masked men.
Smash-and-grab thieves ransacked a Macy’s store in Los Angeles on August 24th.
A disturbing trend of ‘smash and grabs’ is plaguing Democrat-run California.
Nine masked men in their early twenties entered a Macy’s in Sherman Oaks at the Westfield Fashion Square, filled up trashbags with merchandise and ran off quickly.
