"So since March, we've had 30 violent robberies in California targeting jewelry stores. This is something I haven't seen in my 30-plus years of investigating jewelry crime with the NYPD, and 14 years with the Jewelers Security Alliance. I've never seen this level of violence," said Scott Guginsky who is the VP of the Jewelers Security Alliance. The Alliance works to help keep employees and customers safe at jewelry stores across the country."
"He says that 16 of the 30 recent cases in California involve smash-and-grabs like we saw in San Jose. "And 14 others were mob-style - 10, 20, 30 people charging the jewelry store with sledgehammers and firearms."
"Rodney Alamo Brown heads Soulful Softball Sunday and works with youth in Richmond. He says that until we do a better job educating and preparing our young people, these crimes will continue to happen. "Schools don't teach these kids what they should know. But the thing that's really the clincher is, when they see all these wonderful things being advertised on social media, and then the have-nots"
Multiple Bay Area jewelry stores experienced brazen robberies in recent weeks, including a $1 million daytime ransack in San Ramon, a smash-and-grab in San Jose, and a swarm attack in Milpitas. Investigators documented 30 violent jewelry robberies in California since March, with 16 smash-and-grabs and 14 mob-style incidents involving large groups using sledgehammers and firearms. The Jewelers Security Alliance links the surge to rising gold prices approaching $4,000 an ounce. Community advocates warn that social media portrayals of luxury and insufficient youth education and preparation are contributing factors motivating some participants.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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