Video: 8 armed thugs smash Oakland jewelry store’s display cases, steal nearly all items in brazen, devastating daytime heist
Eight armed individuals were caught on surveillance video smashing the display cases of an Oakland jewelry store this week and making off with almost all of the family-owned business’ inventory in a brutal, devastating heist that took place in broad daylight.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
KGO-TV called the crime in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood “one of the most brazen, armed daytime robberies we’ve ever seen.”
Image source: YouTube screenshot
What are the details?
Surveillance video shows 69-year-old mother Diane ducking for cover and screaming for help as the robbers — wearing black masks and clothing and armed with guns and hammers — enter Phuong Jewelry around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, KGO said.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
The crooks ended up smashing nearly all the display cases and ransacking the business, the station said.
With no security guard on duty, KGO said Diane’s 76-year-old husband is seen on the clip coming out from the back of the store armed with a gun of his own, which apparently convinced the crooks to leave.
“If he hadn’t done that, they would have kept going,” their son Tony Trinh told the station, adding that the crooks stole an estimated 85-90% of the store’s inventory.
Image source: YouTube screenshot
“My mom was devastated, and my dad was broken,” Trinh told KGO.
The station said the robbery was by far the worst Phuong Jewelry has suffered in more than 40 years of operation.
“We’ve been robbed a few times before but not at this level of brazen magnitude,” Trinh explained to KGO. “Eight individuals and two getaway cars and guns drawn. I thought, ‘Did my mother get shot? Did my father get shot? Did any of our staff or community members?'”
Bad news keeps coming
Due to the rising cost of premiums, the family let the store’s business insurance lapse, the station said.
“It’s rough,” Trinh told KGO. “My mom is the leader of the pack. When she suffers, I suffer; the same thing from her.”
Will Phuong Jewelry stay in business? Trinh replied to the station that “we would love to, but with the environment and how tough it’s been, we don’t know yet.”
KGO reported that Diane indicated she would be back to work on Friday.
The Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council has started a GoFundMe to help the family business recoup its losses, the station said, adding that Oakland police said the investigation is ongoing, and they want those with information to come forward.
8 armed suspects clear out Oakland Chinatown jewelry store – EXCLUSIVE
More of the same in Oakland
Oakland has made more than a few headlines for, among other things, its rampant crime. Some examples:
Multiple Taco Bells in the northern California city were forced to shut down its dining rooms in March over skyrocketing crime; one location was robbed four times in as many months.Also in March, some business owners in the city were threatening to stop paying taxes until something is done to combat crime.Denny’s only location in Oakland permanently closed its doors earlier this year citing safety concerns due to the area’s high crime rate.In-N-Out Burger in January announced plans to shutter its only Oakland location due to high crime in the Democrat-controlled city.
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