Surveillance video captured a brazen thief breaking into a Los Angeles jewelry store from the roof and making off with more than $100,000 in stolen gems — all in less than 10 minutes.
The burglar struck around 2:30 a.m. Saturday at Nafiseh Jeweler on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, Fox 11 reported.
Video showed the suspect’s uncovered face as he reached into display cases and pulled out the valuable jewels, including special coins from the Middle East, before making his escape.
“The person just hammered in. Came inside from the roof, came down, but when you come down, you see an 18-foot drop,” the shop’s co-owner, Touraj Nezafati, told Fox11, suggesting the thief was familiar with the store’s layout.
“He knew if he jumps down he’s going to break something. So, he crawled to the end of the store where it’s a second floor. We have two stories, and he jumped down from there.”
Nezafati’s family has owned the jewelry store for 30 years and says it might be time to close up shop for good. The break-in marked is the second time the store has been burglarized in the last six months.
Nezafati said his family has also been a victim of two home-invasion robberies after being followed home from the store and held at gunpoint.
“It’s time to go from LA. LA has changed,” he said. “We’re even scared to go outside from the jewelry store to home. We’re always scared. What if we get robbed on the way? What if somebody puts a gun on our head and says, ‘Go back to the store and open the safe?’”
After the last burglary, the family took steps to make the shop more secure, like making its vault “safer.”
Now, Nezafati said his family is looking to either move the shop to Orange County or close it permanently.