“We were just waiting for it to happen here,” she said. In 2019, it wasn’t jewelry that smash-and-grab thieves at Main Place targeted, but pricey bottles of Chanel perfume. Her aunts own shops at Westminster Mall and Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, she said. But the mall was packed with people enjoying the holiday weekend. “First and foremost, we want them to be safe,” he said.Įscobar opened her store a little late on Saturday, unsure if people would be out shopping. And while police benefit from videos and photos shot by witnesses, they should never compromise their safety just to film a crime. He said those who fled the mall or hid inside businesses and locked the doors made good decisions. Rodriguez had advice for anyone in the area of a robbery. A person who answered the phone at the store Saturday said no one was available to comment. Kay was still working on an inventory of what was taken and the value, he said. Phil Rodriguez said Saturday there were no new descriptions of the robbers or possible getaway vehicles. So one group does it and other groups get the idea that they should do it,” Kennedy said.īrea Capt. He attributed California’s robberies to a number of gangs. Industry leaders worry that there will be copycat robberies, he added. It scares people in the industry,” Kennedy said. “That’s way off the charts of being unusual. The number is not solely attributable to the size of California, he said. There have been at least 35 smash-and-grab jewelry store robberies in California since May of 2021 - a number disproportionate to other states, said John Kennedy, president of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, an industry nonprofit organization formed in 1883 after a spree of jewelry store robberies struck New York City. Westminster police have asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspects.īrea police contacted the Westminster Police Department and other agencies to look for connections. The Brea Mall has over 175 shops and restaurants, and four department stores.Įarlier this month, two men used sledgehammers to target Kay Jewelers at the Westminster Mall, where they stole over $200,000 worth of jewelry. Updated: / 06:47 PM PDT A man was arrested for allegedly stealing a forklift and attempting to ram people in Costa Mesa on Tuesday night. “We ran to the back room and hid in the bathroom.” “I work at Aveda, we heard people running and screaming. Some employees at other stores tweeted their fears. She directed shoppers through a mall employee exit next to her shop. On Friday night, Brea police briefly closed the mall’s exits, and with the stores closed, parents didn’t know where to run. Just last week, she said, mall security had conducted a drill on what to do in an active shooter situation. The doors of the store were shut, lights turned off and everyone hid. Shannon Escobar heard screams and also thought there was a shooter, so she immediately went into lockdown mode. She and her mother own M&R Jewelers, which opened last October next to Macy’s. “It was really sad because there were so many families here taking pictures for Easter,” Escobar said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |