Jewelry Heist Suspects Arrested

In what has been an ongoing case, another four men were arrested on June 16 and charged with helping to plan and execute a series of smash-and-grab robberies targeting millions of dollars worth of Rolex and other high-end Swiss watches at retail stores across Southern California.
One of those robberies took place at the Century City Mall in August 2015, where two men made off with more than $1.6 million from the Rolex store, one of whom was arrested in November 2016.
The assailants, armed with assault-style weapons and wearing ski masks – allegedly forced their way into the store as a security guard attempted to close the door.
The suspects had been seen going up an escalator to the business, and the guard had tried to stop them.
“The first suspect discharged a round into the store, striking a display wall of glass,” according to a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) statement. “Both suspects directed everyone to lay on the floor.”
At the beginning of June this year, nine defendants were charged in Santa Ana federal court, six of whom allegedly planned and organized the robberies. The other three allegedly participated in one or more of the heists.
Prosecutors say the organizers recruited financially desperate young men to perform the smash-and-grab robberies, often by promising large sums of money if they were successful. However, when those involved in the actual robberies were eventually paid, they often received much less than what they had promised, despite stealing watches and other jewelry worth about $6 million.
In addition to the four arrested June 16, three defendants are already in custody and authorities are continuing to search for two robbery suspects.
According to the indictment, the organizers planned the details of the robberies, including selecting the display cases to be smashed, and providing the firearms, tools, disguises and stolen cars used in the crimes.