On Thursday, a masked suspect entered the store around 2:35 p.m. and is seen smashing a jewelry display case with a sledgehammer. Moments later, the owner grabs the thief and shoves him out of the store. During the altercation, the suspect’s sweatshirt and mask come off, after which he attempts to cover his face using his hands. Then, another suspect appears and hits the owner with a sledgehammer. Shortly afterwards, both suspects left the store empty-handed in a getaway car. The owner only suffered minor injuries.
“They took nothing,” the store’s manager told CBSLA. “They didn’t get anything. We heisted them, they didn’t heist us.”
However, it wasn’t long before the thieves were tracked down by Santa Monica Police officers and arrested.
“They were caught because a guy outside in [a] Tesla, who is a customer of ours, saw them running up the street so he followed their car and was on the phone with the police the entire time,” the store manager explained.
Three out of the four suspects were juveniles, and none of their names have yet been revealed. The adult was booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime, assault with a deadly weapon and robbery. The juveniles were booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime, robbery and assault.
