A group of smash-and-grab thieves who hit a jewelry store in Manhattan Beach were sent running for their lives when an employee pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Officers with the Manhattan Beach, Gardena and El Segundo police departments responded to the robbery at Prestige Jewelers in the 3000 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard at around 12:40 p.m. on Oct. 6 on reports of the robbery.
“Five suspects, who were described as wearing hooded sweatshirts, used hammers to smash jewelry showcases, and an employee of the store responded by using a firearm to shoot toward the suspects,” Manhattan Beach police said in a news release.
The group of robbers fled the store and were last seen traveling southbound on Sepulveda Boulevard.
No one was injured during the incident, and the suspects were able to make off with some of the store’s merchandise, police said.
This is not the first time the store has been robbed by smash-and-grabbed thieves. In Aug. 2014, another group of hooded crooks with hammers robbed the jewelry store, which is inside the Manhattan Village shopping mall. In that instance, the thieves got away with some $250,000 worth Rolex watches and diamonds.
After an intensive investigation into the most recent robbery, Gardena Police in cooperation with officers from Manhattan Beach, arrested one of the men involved in the smash-and-grab incident on Monday, the departments said in a joint release.
Authorities also released the above image taken from the store’s surveillance cameras in the hope that members of the public may be able to identify the other suspects involved in the crime.
Anyone who may have witnessed the robbery or has information about the incident is urged to contact MBPD Detective Hartnell at 310-802-5127 or the department’s tip line at 310-802-5171 for those wishing to remain anonymous.