Police on Wednesday released video of a smash-and-grab robbery involving nine people at a jewelry store in Concord’s Sunvalley Shopping Center on Monday that initially drew calls regarding gunfire.
Nobody was injured during the robbery, which happened around 7:30 p.m. at Iceberg Diamonds, Concord police Lt. Sean Donnelly said.
CLICK HERE if you’re viewing on a mobile device. VIDEO: Nine robbers take jewelry in Concord smash-and-grab
According to Donnelly, the nine people all got away. The six-second video from inside the store shows six of the nine masked participants — five of them wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and pants, the other wearing a white hoodie and pants — smashing glass with hammers. They then gathered up an undisclosed amount of jewelry, Donnelly said.
The smashing of the glass was mistaken by some at the mall for gunfire, Donnelly said. Concord police received more than one call reporting a shooting there.
“Luckily it wasn’t that,” Donnelly said. “It was the sound of hammers breaking the glass. You can see how people would think different. They went to town with the hammers like they were chopping wood.”
Donnelly said an employee tried to intervene but backed off because the group had hammers.
“They ran inside in a mob formation,” Donnelly said. “They were in and out pretty quick. Less than 30 seconds.”
Messages left with the store’s corporate officers were not returned immediately.
Police have not yet determined the value of the jewelry that was stolen from the store. They urged anyone with information to contact Det. Christine Corey at 925-603-5828 or christine.corey@cityofconcord.org.
Staff photographer Dylan Bouscher contributed to this report.
