A large mob brazenly looted a jewelry store Sunday inside the Southland Mall in San Jose, California.
The looters took over the Southland Mall shortly before closing and caused stores to close early for the day, according to KPIX 5. Looters broke glass display cases with hammers and then ran off with the jewelry.
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. https://t.co/PfW4ffWktt
— KPIX 5 (@KPIXtv) November 22, 2021
Multiple stores were hit during the looting, but the main target was Sam’s Jewelers, KPIX reported.
“I would say at least 30-40 from what I saw, but then after the main group of kids rushed out we saw about maybe 15-20 after that,” a Sam’s Jewelers employee said, according to KPIX.
The employees had to barricade themselves in the back of the store to avoid the looters. (RELATED: Police Reportedly Arrest Fellow Sergeant With 27 Years On The Job For Robbing Local Store)
Another mob of roughly 80 looters destroyed a nearby Nordstrom Saturday night in Walnut Creek. Police are unsure whether the two lootings are related, according to KPIX.
The San Francisco area has seen a rapid increase in shoplifting. Between March and June of this year, just 2.8% of larceny crimes were solved despite a 22% increase in larceny cases, according to previous reporting.
Stores in the area have been forced to shut down or limit hours to combat the rise in shoplifting.