Eight suspects have been arrested after thieves rammed a stolen SUV through the front of Classic Jewelers in Anaheim Hills, CA, and grabbed about $1 million in gold and jewelry, authorities said. Surveillance video showed the vehicle crashing into the store Friday afternoon and masked thieves smashing display cases before fleeing in two Dodge Chargers.
Owner Ramzy Tabello told the Orange County Register that the incident was “the scariest thing of my life.”
“I yelled, I have a gun, get out,” Tabello said. “They grabbed the gun from the table. At that point, I thought I was gonna get shot.”
Anaheim police said officers located a suspect vehicle near the 91 Freeway and followed it until it was involved in a multi-vehicle crash; four occupants fled and were arrested. A second alleged getaway vehicle later crashed in Fullerton; officers found and arrested the remaining suspects. Police recovered firearms and scattered jewelry at crash scenes, and about six people suffered minor to moderate injuries in the collisions, authorities said.
All seven adults face multiple felony charges; a 17-year-old was released to a guardian pending juvenile proceedings, police said. Detectives are probing whether the recovered items match those taken during the burglary. Police said the suspects, all under 24, may be tied to similar heists.
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Prosecutors, Jewelry Owners Stunned as ICE Lets Suspect in $100m Jewelry Heist “Self Deport”
Federal immigration authorities allowed a suspect in a $100 million jewelry heist — believed to be the largest in U.S. history — to deport himself to Ecuador in December, stunning prosecutors who were preparing to try the case, according to media reports.
Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven people charged last year with stalking an armored truck to a rural freeway rest stop north of Los Angeles and stealing millions worth of diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in July 2022.
The Associated Press reported that Flores faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail.
Despite being a lawful permanent resident, Flores was detained by ICE officials in September 2025. While in immigration custody he was offered two options, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office court filings, cited by the CBS: 1) assert his lawful permanent residence status, fight his criminal case, and face a potentially lengthy criminal sentence; or 2) waive his immigration rights, functionally self-deport, and avoid criminal exposure all together. He chose the latter.” Flores was then deported in December.
The jewelers whose goods were stolen are demanding answers.
“When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left without answers, without a verdict, and without closure,” Jerry Kroll, an attorney for some of the jewelry companies, told the Los Angeles Times.
The infamous jewelry heist occurred in 2022 after the suspects scouted the Brinks truck leaving an international jewelry show near San Francisco with dozens of bags of jewels, according to the indictment. While the victims reported more than $100 million in losses, Brink’s said the stolen items were worth less than $10 million.
A lawsuit filed by the Brinks security company said one of the drivers was asleep inside the big rig and the other was getting food inside the rest stop when the thieves broke in.
Ylang 23 Hit by Sledge Hammer-Wielding Burglars
Ylang 23, one of the country’s best-known independent jewelers and a winner of INSTORE’s 2025 America’s Coolest Stores contest, was burglarized shortly after midnight Jan. 23, the owners said. Three masked, gloved suspects used sledgehammers to break through the front door and multiple display cases, the store said.
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Co-founder Charles Teichman told People Newspapers that it was the first theft the store had suffered in almost 41 years across three Dallas locations. “It’s obviously distressing; it’s infuriating; it’s violating, all those words,” he said, adding “But thank God it was the middle of the night and nobody was working. Because it could have been much worse.”
Teichman said burglars were in the store less than four minutes and shattered so much glass he feared people could be hurt. Staff are taking inventory and cleaning up; the store was closed through the weekend with plans to reopen Monday at The Shops of Highland Park, weather permitting.
Adult, Minor Arrested After Yuba City Robbery in Which Owner Bashed With Hammer
Police arrested one adult and a minor following a suspected daytime robbery at a jewelry store in Yuba City, CA, that left the owner injured and an estimated $1 million in merchandise stolen, according to a report on ABC10.
Investigators believe four suspects were involved in the robbery, which unfolded just after 1 p.m. on Jan. 18. Three entered the store wearing masks and carrying hammers, while a fourth remained outside in a vehicle, according to police.
Authorities say the suspects shattered display cases and took gold jewelry. During the robbery, the store owner was struck in the chest with a hammer and sustained minor injuries.
As the suspects fled, a witness followed their vehicle and relayed real-time information to dispatchers. The car was later found abandoned near Richland Road and Estates Drive, where the suspects ran away from the scene on foot.
Officers arrived to the area and deployed a police drone, which helped locate two suspects hiding in a nearby residential yard. The remaining two suspects are still at large.
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