$1M Jewelry Store Robbery: Employees Throw Chairs Amid Heist in El Monte, CA

Smash-and-grab robbers took nearly $1 million in merchandise from a jewelry store in El Monte, CA.

Employees tried to ward off the thieves by throwing chairs and other objects, NBC Los Angeles reports. (Scroll down to watch security footage of the incident.)

The crime happened early Tuesday afternoon at David’s Jewelers, with three people bursting in and breaking open display cases with hammers.

The store’s owner, who asked not to be named, told NBC Los Angeles that he then tussled with one of the robbers outside the store. He said he grabbed one of the thieves.

“I was kicking him, and that’s when I got hit with a hammer in the face,” the owner said. He added that his wife was hit with a hammer inside the store and was left with a broken tooth.

KTLA-TV reports that the men took off in a Chevrolet Avalanche.

No arrests have yet been made.

Watch the video: