Chad says he bought a necklace for his girlfriend at the Tiffany's in Pasadena before heading to a flower shop in Covina. Surveillance video shows him arriving and parking, and another car following close behind before parking up the street.
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He stayed in his work truck to talk on the phone for 10 minutes before heading into the shop. It didn't take long for the thief to walk up, break his window and go right for the jewelry.
"That's how I knew I was followed," Chad told Eyewitness News. "There's no other explanation for this."
"The Tiffany's bag - I had hidden it under a sweatshirt in the backseat. It wasn't in plain view. I looked back there and it was gone."
Pasadena police say they've seen cases like this before.
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"It does happen occasionally," said Lt. Keith Gomez with Pasadena police. "Any time people are making purchases at a jewelry store and making a withdrawal from the bank we've seen them being followed."
"Once they get home or to a location that's remote they're robbed of the belongings they just purchased."
Their advice is to be on the lookout and aware of your surroundings.
As for Chad - he's grateful things didn't end worse.
"I think they were willing to go to any lengths so I'm just glad that it didn't turn into a confrontation.