Headlines

Thieves Take Everything From Jewelry Store in Smash-and-Grab Robbery

The Jewelers’ Security Alliance reports that the crime is part of a pattern.

Published

2 years ago

November 20, 2021

James Ritchie

Smash-and-grab robbers hit Iceberg Diamonds in Concord, CA. Credit: Concord Police Department/Facebook

A group of nine people armed with hammers robbed a California jewelry store, police say.

The thieves smashed display cases at the store inside the Sun Valley Mall and took jewelry. The crime took place at about 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15.

Scroll down to see surveillance video of the crime.

“Employees tried to intervene and were kept back by the hammer wielding criminals,” the Concord Police Department stated on Facebook. “The suspects got away before police arrived. Some customers inside the mall called reporting what they thought were gunshots heard, but in actuality, they heard the sounds of the hammers breaking glass. No shots were fired.”

The suspects “wiped out the inventory” of the store, SFGATE reports.

The Jewelers’ Security Alliance reports that there has been “a pattern of smash and grab robberies at California malls being carried out by between 3 to 7 suspects.” Other incidents occurred in Milpitas on May 20, Hayward on May 21, Daly City on Sept. 15 and San Jose on Oct. 28 and 29.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”