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A group of nearly 25 masked thieves ransacked a jewellery shop in California taking $1 million worth of goods.
CCTV footage shows the moment the masked thieves ran into Heller Jewelers in San Ramon before smashing glass cabinets with crowbars and pickaxes.
A horde of masked individuals wearing black clothing crashed through the front doors carrying handguns, pickaxes and carrier bags rushing around the shop to steal the jewellery.
They used the weapons to smash glass display cabinets with one group managing to remove a large panel before clearing the vitrine of all its goods.
Each person grabbed handfuls of expensive goods while some hastily packed them into what appeared plastic shopping bags and bin liners.
Aerial CCTV footage from outside the City Center Bishop Ranch Mall shows the suspects fleeing the shopping centre and running towards several getaway cars.
The masked robbers bundled into five different cars – all of which the police believes were stolen -before speeding away from the scene and evading local authorities.
Some of the thieves were also armed with handguns with one suspect firing rounds at the shop’s entrance, San Ramon Police Department said.
The thieves were able to take off with $1 million worth of merchandise in what police have described as an ‘audacious’ and ‘brazen’ robbery.
Three men aged 19, 27 and 31, were charged on Friday in connection with the robbery.
Police said the incident was a ‘coordinated operation’ after they confirmed the suspects used stolen vehicles, fired a weapon to shatter a glass door as they fled and smashed display cabinets to take the valuable goods.
‘Our communities deserve safety from conduct like the audacious daylight robbery in San Ramon,’ said Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton.
‘Thanks to the excellent investigative work by the San Ramon Police Department, these defendants will face significant punishment for the offenses they committed.’
She added she is working with the San Ramon Police Department to find the remaining perpetrators.
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