BEVERLY HILLS — Robbers smashed the front window of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in broad daylight and fled with millions of dollars worth of merchandise.
Passersby recorded video of Tuesday’s assault on the store, the latest in a long string of brazen smash-and-grab thefts and robberies of people wearing expensive watches or jewelry in the Los Angeles region.
The robbers, wearing hoodies and masks, used sledgehammers to break the window of Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills.
“It sounded like gunshots,” company President Peter Sedghi told NBC4. “I told all my employees to get on the floor. I hit the panic button.”
Sedghi estimated he lost $3 million to $5 million worth of merchandise.
LA Robberies Up 18% in 2022
The robbers arrived in a stolen car and abandoned it, leaving in another vehicle. A Beverly Hills police statement said extra security patrols and other measures were immediately taken.
“Chief (Mark) Stainbrook understands the community frustration regarding the crime that happened today,” the statement said.
His Los Angeles counterpart, Chief Michel Moore, said Tuesday that robberies in Los Angeles are up 18% year-to-date compared to 2021.
“Over the last year, there has been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry while in public. If it is visible, it can be a target,” an LAPD statement said.
Watch: KABC Report on Beverly Hills Smash-and-Grab
