Crime

Police on the Lookout for Band of Daylight Robbers

CrimeAug 28, 2019

Police on the Lookout for Band of Daylight Robbers

The gang allegedly has carried out gunpoint robberies between 11 and 11:30 a.m. at four jewelry stores in southern California.

New York—Police are on the lookout for a gang of men who’ve allegedly pulled off a string of southern California jewelry store robberies in the middle of the day.


This security camera shot shows one of the five suspects allegedly involved in a jewelry store robbery in Santa Barbara, California on Aug. 3. (Photo courtesy Jewelers’ Security Alliance)The suspects in the gunpoint heists are black males, the Jewelers’ Security Alliance said in a recent alert, and they have been hitting jewelry stores in the late morning, between 11 and 11:30 a.m.

The first incident occurred in Ventura, California on July 24. JSA said the first of three suspects entered the store and said he was there to pick up an item on layaway. 

When a sales associate went to the back to retrieve the item, the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun and hit him on the head, then tied up and blindfolded him. Two other suspects, one thin and one heavy, then barged into the store and cleaned out the showcases.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Ventura Police Department at 805-339-4400, or JSA at 212-687-0328 or jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org.

On Aug. 3, JSA said five men came into a store in Santa Barbara with their faces covered and displaying a gun. They zip-tied the store’s employees and customers.


Another one of the five suspects allegedly involved in the Santa Barbara robbery (Photo courtesy JSA)
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective April Beltran of the Santa Barbara Police Department, 805-897-2327 or JSA.

A little more than a week later, on Aug. 14, five suspects entered a store in Temple City and put two employees in the back room.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact JSA or call the police in Temple City, 626-285-7171.

The fourth armed robbery took place Aug. 20 in Alpine, JSA said.

Three suspects allegedly zip-tied the store’s manager before cleaning out a safe and three showcases at gunpoint. They are described as being about 5 feet 10 inches tall and between 25 and 30 years old; two of the men were thin, while one was stocky.

Anyone with information in the Alpine robbery is asked to call Detective Angela Tsuida at 619-952-1234 or JSA.

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

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