Caught on camera: Smash-and-grab thief targets Macy's store at Simi Valley mall

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A terrifying smash-and-grab robbery was captured on video at a Simi Valley mall in the middle of the holiday shopping rush.

Cellphone footage caught the moment when a man started violently breaking a glass jewelry case at a Macy's store with what police described as a pickaxe-style hammer.

The incident happened Wednesday around 6:30 p.m. at the Simi Town Center Mall.

Police say the suspect was briefly confronted by nearby shoppers, and then ran off with a duffle bag. It's unclear with how much, if any, merchandise the man was able to steal.

He was last seen hopping a fence to a nearby apartment complex in the 1500 block of Jefferson Way.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Simi Valley Police Department at 805-583-6950.