Surveillance cameras inside of Salar Jewelry on the 700 block of Broadway St. in downtown Los Angeles captured three hooded suspects as they entered the store Monday afternoon.
One suspect grabbed the store clerk as the other two went to work with sledgehammers, smashing the glass display cases filled with jewelry.
"They came in about 12:30 today, three male blacks dressed in gray hoodies and black hoodies," said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon. "A female driver in a small white SUV. They smashed two of the cases and took about $13,000 in gold and then took off in the small white SUV."
Police were able to get a tight shot of one of the hooded suspects captured in the video.
"After speaking to the owner here, he recognized these suspects as having come in just this last Saturday and checking out his store," said Vernon. "So we're trying to find their likeness in his video."
Police say this was the latest smash-and-grab robbery in the downtown area since a rash of similar robberies during the summer. Suspects have used pepper-spray, hammers, gloves, pillow cases and hooded sweatshirts to quickly get in and out of businesses with stolen jewelry.
"What we've seen both last summer and this summer is the same M.O. by groups of robbery crews who are doing these kinds of smash-and-grabs," said Vernon.
Police say the suspects are committing these smash-and-grabs because they see a large payoff.
"I think they just see these as a way to make a quick profit partly because of the price of gold," said Vernon. "We have interacted with a number of different agencies from Tustin to Ventura County and helped them solve some of their smash-and-grab robberies and made a number of those arrests."
If you have information about this case, contact Los Angeles Police at (877) LAPD-24-7.
