California Jewelers Rocked By Brazen Daytime Smash-and-Grab Gangs

India-West News Desk

ARTESIA/SUNNYVALE, CA – California jewelers are on high alert after a string of audacious smash-and-grab robberies, primarily targeting Indian-owned establishments across the Bay Area and Southern California. These incidents, often involving multiple suspects and stolen vehicles, have resulted in significant losses and at least one injury.

The latest in a series of similar crimes occurred on July 1, just before 6 p.m., at Amber Jewelers and Watch Palace on Pioneer Blvd in Artesia. Surveillance video captured at least 12 masked men storming the store, smashing display cases, and fleeing with handfuls of jewelry. Three terrified individuals hid near a counter as the chaos unfolded. The Lakewood Sheriff Station is investigating this incident and urges anyone with information to contact them at (562) 623-3500, or anonymously via “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or lacrimestoppers.org.

Just days prior, on June 29, a jewelry store in the 1000 block of East El Camino Real in Sunnyvale was targeted in a brazen daytime robbery around 2:45 p.m. Thieves used a stolen vehicle to ram the building, then entered and smashed display cases with hammers, making off with an undisclosed amount of jewelry. The entire operation, from vehicle impact to the thieves’ departure, lasted less than 90 seconds, according to security video. One person inside the store, who is reported to be the store owner, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized. Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers located a suspect vehicle, but a pursuit was terminated due to public safety concerns. Detective G. Limon can be contacted at (408) 730-7110 for information regarding this case.

Since May 2024, at least eight Indian jewelry stores in the Bay Area have been hit in similar smash-and-grab robberies. These include Nitin Jewelers, PNG Jewelers, in Sunnyvale; Bhindi Jewelers in Newark; Bombay Jewelry Company in Berkeley; Kumar Jewelers in Fremont; and BJ Jewelers in Dublin. Authorities have made arrests in two of these cases, at PNG and Kumar Jewelers.

These recent events follow a pattern of escalating aggression. On March 30, a group of thieves used a stolen car to ram another Sunnyvale jewelry store, though they fled empty-handed after being confronted by an employee with a gun. Similarly, on June 20, an attempted theft at a Dublin jewelry store saw thieves use a stolen car to breach security gates, but they also left empty-handed as the owner had removed merchandise after hearing about a prior Fremont smash-and-grab.