The owner of a well-fortified San Gabriel Valley jewelry store is in shock after thieves managed to break in and make off with some $800,000 in diamonds, gold and silver liquid.
The May 15 incident occurred late at night when a team of four to five burglars broke into Desiré Jewelry in Glendora, disabled the store’s alarm system and surveillance cameras, carried heavy equipment and spent six hours breaking into store safes.
Monir Kassis, Désiré’s owner, only discovered the burglary on May 18.
Retracing the thieves’ footsteps, he told KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell that the crooks broke into the roof of his store on Glendora Avenue and made off with all of his inventory.
“There’s a big bag of diamonds, about 600 carats of diamonds in that bag,” he said, “and a lot of gold chains, a lot of gold to repair.”
Before the store’s surveillance cameras were deactivated, they recorded the sound of thieves carrying their equipment, likely gas-powered torches and drills.
“You start hearing drilling and really loud noises,” Kassis said.
Cameras also recorded two of the thieves, but so far it has been difficult to identify them.
“I saw two guys, one sticking his head out of the door and the other knocking on the window to warn them it was time to leave,” he added.
Having gone on vacation, Kassis had moved all the jewelry from the store’s display cases into three steel safes, two of which the thieves were able to break into.
“They dug a hole and took everything out,” the store owner said.
Glendora Police Department detectives are investigating the robbery and examining evidence, including blood on one of the safes, left at the scene.
Kassis also hired a private investigator who shared with KTLA that the heist appears quite sophisticated, although they believe they have several strong leads.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Glendora Police Department at 626-914-8250.
News Source : ktla.com
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