San Francisco Bay has been hit by a third day of brazen looting, with a gang of thieves filmed smashing glass cases at a jewelry store and emptying them as staff screamed in terror.
The latest incident happened at a Sam’s Jewelers store at the Southland Mall in Hayward around 5:30pm PST Sunday evening, and was caught on camera.
Robbers — said to have been part of a gang of around 40 to 50 teens who entered the mall — wielded hammers to smash display cases at Sam’s, before making off with goods. Dramatic footage shot from a nearby store showed shop workers screaming with fear as the disturbing scene unfolded.
Looters targeting Bay Area businesses struck again Sunday evening, with smash-and-grab thieves hitting the Southland Mall in Hayward and suspects taking merchandise from a Lululemon store in San Jose.
Hayward police told KPIX they responded around 5:30 p.m. Sunday to multiple calls from stores in Southland Mall.
Witnesses said a large mob of people caused a huge disturbance inside the mall, with some briefly taking over a jewelry store.
Stopping the swarm of smash and grabs as holiday shoppers begin their buying spree, local police have a plan to keep criminals out.
You’ve seen them in action: gangs of thieves going into high-end stores grabbing what they can and making a run for it. There’s a beefed-up effort to stop them before they start.
We’re at the cusp of craziness, the start of what’s expected to be the busiest shopping time of year at the Roseville Galleria.
sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/11/22/police-smash-and-grab-strategy/
Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said theft is a growing problem at the company’s stores — and it is implementing added security measure to safeguard employees and shoppers.
“This is traumatizing for our associates and is unacceptable,” Barry said on a call with analysts Tuesday. “We are doing everything we can to try to create [an] as safe as possible environment.”
Barry said the company is implementing a number of tactics to minimize theft and protect staff and customers. For example, Best Buy is locking up more products and hiring security when appropriate.
www.cnn.com/2021/11/23/business/best-buy-retail-theft/index.html