The Southland Mall in Hayward was the target of smash-and-grab thieves Sunday evening in the latest organized retail theft in the Bay Area. Marianne Favro reports.
The Southland Mall in Hayward was the target of smash-and-grab thieves Sunday evening in the latest organized retail theft in the Bay Area.
Hayward police said they received calls of smash-and-grab robberies just before 5:30 p.m.
Police said that about nine suspects with hammers smashed cases inside Sam's Jewelers, taking an unknown amount of jewelry.
Witnesses told NBC Bay Area that there was broken glass and chaos as about a group of 30 or more people ran through the mall to get out.
According to witnesses, the thieves also targeted the Macy's store, but a spokesperson for the department store later said the business was not impacted during the incident.
Other stores closed their gates and the entire mall shut down early.
Brooke Morgado was working at the Shoe Palace store at the time of the incident.
"I just see people running towards where the jewelry store was. And then, my coworker closed the gate down. We just didn't know what had happened," she said.
One employee told NBC Bay Area's Marianne Favro that there was a similar smash-and-grab robbery at another jewelry store at the Southland Mall last month.
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Sunday's incident comes after thieves descended on several retail outlets in San Francisco's Union Square and in Walnut Creek earlier in the weekend.
It's not known at this time how much was stolen or if any arrests were made.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
