Armed mob caught on camera in smash-and-grab heist of California jewelry store

Nearly two dozen suspects, some of them armed, brazenly targeted a California jewelry store during a smash-and-grab robbery as organized retail theft continues to pose a problem across the state.

Surveillance video at Heller Jewelers in the Bay Area city of San Ramon captured a mob of masked thieves storming the store Monday and smashing displays with hammers and pickaxes, authorities said.

They made off with around $1 million in merchandise, the San Ramon Police Department said.

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At least one suspect fired a shot through the front entrance, police said. Others entered the store pointing firearms at employees.

Once the heist was over, the suspects fled in waiting vehicles in the City Center Bishop Ranch valet parking area, authorities said. Police chased the cars but ended the pursuit to allow helicopters to track them.

Several suspects were detained in Oakland and a nearby suburb, including 27-year-old Jimmy Ray and his brother, Michael Ray, KTVU-TV reported.

After an incident two weeks ago in San Jose, an 88-year-old jewelry shop owner is recovering after she was shoved to the ground as thieves raided her store in a similar smash-and-grab robbery caught on camera.

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Surveillance video from Kim Hung Jewelry showed suspects backing up an SUV into the store’s glass windows before more than a dozen of them stormed in and grabbed items from display cases.

California launched its own Organized Retail Crime Task Force to combat large-scale retail thefts.

In 2025, the task force, which is led by the California Highway Patrol, made over 700 arrests and recovered nearly 150,000 stolen items worth $8 million, as of August.

“We are serious about stamping out crime rings that target California’s businesses and undermine public safety. We appreciate the work of our law enforcement partners statewide to apprehend these bad actors,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at the time.