San Francisco Bay Area recorded its third consecutive day of pillaging by gangs 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.Also on Sunday, another gang of looters snatched garments from upmarket yoga clothing brand Lululemon’s San Jose store, KPIX reported.
It’s unknown how much was taken from the jewelry store or the other retailers during the event.
CBS San Francisco spoke with two women who work near Sam’s Jewelers. They and other mall workers said some kids ran into other stores and left with shoes and clothing.”We saw all the other stores closing. They were panicking, so we were panicking and quickly closed our store and barricaded ourselves,” said one of the women.”It was very scary,” said one mall worker. “People with no morals, no sense for other people’s safety. I feel helpless. It’s disturbing.”Police couldn’t immediately say how much jewelry was taken or how much merchandise other stores in the mall lost.
Meanwhile, in response to the previous flash-mob-robberies that I previously reported, San Francisco officials have announced the city will limit car access in Union Square.
During a joint press conference with San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott Saturday, Mayor London Breed said changes would be made.“We’re going to be making some changes to Union Square and how cars are able to access,” Breed said. “There will be limited access in terms of when you come to this area.”No further details on exactly what the restrictions are or when they will be in place have yet been released.Chief Scott added that there will be an increased police presence in Union Square “for the foreseeable future.”
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