WALNUT CREEK — Hammer-wielding looters smashed jewelry cases at Macy’s in Walnut Creek during morning open hours, police said, terrifying shoppers and employees before fleeing with high-end watches.
No one was injured during the robbery that began at 10:48 a.m. when three men in hooded sweatshirts and masks entered the Macy’s at Broadway Plaza. They fled in an older model white Honda sedan, according to the Walnut Creek Police Department.
The robbery is the latest “smash and grab” that has targeted Broadway Plaza and other Bay Area retailers. In November, during the holiday shopping season, upwards of 80 thieves — in a planned and organized melee — ransacked the Nordstrom store just before 9 p.m. while the store was still open. Two employees were injured and one was pepper-sprayed. Three people were arrested.
The night before, dozens of people similarly looted the Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco’s Union Square. The Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord was also hit by nine suspects.
In May 2020, in the midst of the protests over George Floyd’s murder, a woman was shot when looters targeted a number of stores at Broadway Plaza. Nine people were charged in that case.
On Saturday, Macy’s officials were still inventorying the loss and estimated damage.
Source: www.mercurynews.com