Nearly 25 thugs smash up jewelry store with crowbars, pickaxes, steal $1 million in merch — but tech helps police battle back

Nearly 25 masked, hooded individuals were caught on video descending upon a jewelry store in broad daylight this week in San Ramon, California, and stealing an estimated $1 million in merchandise, KGO-TV reported.

Police said the suspects — armed with crowbars and pickaxes and at least three guns — smashed display cases and grabbed whatever they could get their hands on during Monday afternoon's heist at Heller Jewelers, the station said.

'This is not their first time doing something like this.'

"When they went in, they basically took over the store," Lt. Mike Pistello of the San Ramon Police Department told KGO. "Basically taking whatever jewelry was available."

More from the station:

Cellphone video captured the suspects locked inside the store at one point. Police say at least one suspect fired multiple rounds to break open the glass door and escape. The door was part of a security upgrade installed after a previous robbery in 2023, requiring a security guard to press a button to let people out.

"What ended up happening was, once the suspects went in, the door locked behind them," Pistello noted to KGO.

RELATED: Video: Mob of hammer-wielding, hooded thugs pull off brazen smash-and-grab robbery in broad daylight

The suspects arrived in six vehicles, parking in the valet area just 100 feet from the store entrance, the station said.

A drone funded by a 2023 grant to fight organized retail theft captured video of the suspects fleeing the store and entering their vehicles, KGO noted.

Police told the station that drone video along with video from surveillance cameras and bystanders as well as help from nearby agencies led to the arrest of seven suspects.

More from KGO:

Three adults and one juvenile were taken into custody in Oakland with assistance from Oakland police. Three other adults were arrested at the Dublin BART station by Alameda County sheriff's deputies.

The suspects range in age from 17 to 31 and are all from Oakland. Police believe they are connected to similar crimes across the Bay Area. ...

Two firearms and some jewelry were recovered, including items that may have been dropped or discarded during the escape. Police say several of the vehicles used in the robbery were reported stolen.

"This is not their first time doing something like this," Pistello noted to the station.

KGO said detectives are trying to identify and arrest the remaining suspects. Pistello added to the station that while the investigation could take months, he expressed confidence that the department would ultimately solve multiple cases tied to the group.

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