San Ramon police announced on 24/9 the arrest of seven suspects, aged 17 to 31, in connection with the robbery of Heller Jewelers at the City Center Bishop Ranch shopping center. The robbers made off with approximately 1 million USD worth of merchandise.

During the robbery, a group of nearly 25 masked suspects armed with hammers and guns stormed into the store, smashing display cases and grabbing jewelry. Trapped inside by automatic locking doors, the robbers shot their way out before fleeing in six cars.

Police pursued the vehicles but were forced to stop for safety reasons when the suspects reached speeds exceeding 160 km/h. All seven arrested suspects are from Oakland. Police have recovered some of the stolen jewelry and two guns.

Authorities believe the suspects are members of a gang responsible for a string of similar jewelry store robberies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. “This is not the first time they have committed these types of robberies,” said San Ramon police officer Mike Pistello.

Earlier this month, two Vietnamese-owned jewelry stores, Kim Hung and Fine Jewelry, were also targeted by armed robbers in San Jose.

This is the second time in two years that Heller Jewelers has been robbed in this manner. In 2023, seven masked men stormed the store, stealing 1.1 million USD worth of jewelry. The suspects were apprehended thanks to GPS trackers hidden inside Rolex watches.

California authorities have not released the identities of the seven arrested suspects. "This was clearly a sophisticated robbery, requiring a thorough investigation," Pistello said, urging the public to come forward with any information about the remaining suspects.

Duc Trung (*ABC News, NBC News*)