A brazen smash-and-grab burglary at a Beverly Hills jewelry store Tuesday afternoon is under investigation by police.
Around 1:45 p.m., police received multiple calls about a burglary in progress on the 200 block of South Beverly Drive, Lt. Giovanni Trejo of the Beverly Hills Police Department told KTLA.
Bystanders watched in disbelief as five people got out of a car and used what appeared to be sledge hammers to break the plate glass window of Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills.
They stole merchandise from inside and then left in a second vehicle.
Peter Sedghi, the store’s owner, said he was sitting in his office when he first heard the commotion, and thought the sound of the smashing window was gunshots.
“It literally sounded like gunshots, so I told my staff, I yelled out, ‘everyone down on the floor,'” Sedghi said.
Employees pushed the store’s panic button and Sedghi waited until the noise died down to assess the situation.
“I grabbed my gun and I came running out,” Sedghi said.
Sedghi is still doing inventory on what was stolen but he told KTLA the total cash amount of what was stolen could be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.
The burglars were wearing loose sweats, hoodies and masks, police said.
Police said the getaway vehicle was a white Audi. The vehicle they arrived in was abandoned on scene and was determined to be stolen.
Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call the Beverly Hills Police Department at 310-285-2125. Anonymous reports can be made by text to BEVHILLSPD followed by the tip information to 888777. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or use the website lacrimestoppers.org.