Wild video shows a huge mob of masked, black-clad thieves storming a California jewelry store and making off with around $1 million in merchandise in just over a minute.
More than 20 crooks were caught on surveillance footage Monday as they ran up to Heller Jewelers in San Ramon, around 34 miles east of San Francisco — just the latest raid blamed on the same gang.
They used crowbars and pickaxes to smash the display cases and snatch jewelry — then shot their way out when a security door automatically tried to lock them inside.
“When they went in, they basically took over the store. Basically, taking whatever jewelry was available,” Lt. Mike Pistello from the San Ramon PD told ABC 7 News.
“What ended up happening was, once the suspects went in, the door locked behind them,” Pistello said of a security upgrade since a previous robbery in 2023 — that also saw smash-and-grab thieves swiping around $1 million from the store.
The latest gang was inside for no more than one minute, 20 seconds, according to the Danville San Ramon. Cops identified at least 23 suspects, but onlookers say there were up to 30.
The raid was likely planned days in advance, police said, as the suspects arrived in six separate vehicles and parked in the valet area 100 feet from the store entrance.
Cops focused on chasing one of the cars “in a pursuit that was in excess of 100 miles per hour,” police Chief Denton Carlson told Danville San Ramon.
The chase ended “due to the inherent danger to the public” as the crooks drove the wrong way ino oncoming traffic, the chief said.
However, a specialized drone — funded by a 2023 organized retail theft grant — was already airborne and able to catch much of the evidence.
“It shows all the suspects’ vehicles, as well as all the suspects leaving and entering their cars to leave,” Pistello said.
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Police have since arrested seven suspects, including one juvenile, in two separate raids in Oakland and nearby Dublin, California.
The suspects — all from Oakland — range in age from 17 to 31 and are suspected of involvement in similar crimes across the Bay Area, police have said.
Two firearms and some of the stolen jewelry believed to have been dropped or discarded during the escape have been recovered, while several of the vehicles used in the robbery were reported stolen, according to police
“This is not their first time doing something like this,” Pistello said. “This is not something that happens a lot in San Ramon. We’re doing our best to follow up on every lead possible.”
The same store was hit in a similar raid in March 2023, with seven masked crooks storming inside and stealing around $1.1 million in watches and necklaces.
They were tracked in a secret tracking device inside a Rolex watch, with four men later sentenced to federal prison, Bay Area News reported in November.
It is not immediately clear if cops think the same group is behind both raids, and requests more info were not immediately returned Thursday.
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