As California has grown increasingly soft on crime thanks to the implementation of woke leftist policies over the last several months, California cities have seen crime soar. Now law enforcement is telling citizens to not dress like would-be victims, all while criminals run rampant.
Reports out of the Golden State have repeatedly detailed brazen instances of stealing in which criminals just waltz out of stores with their arms and bags full of goods as so-called security guards stand by and do nothing. Americans have also seen the woes of jewelry shop owners and staff who have had to watch helplessly as perps smash-and-grab their ways through stores.
The Associated Press said this week that robberies in Los Angeles to date are up 18% over this time last year, and robberies with a gun are up 44% over the same time period.
The latest instance of California headline-grabbing robberies came out of Tinseltown this week. According to KABC-TV, robbers armed with sledgehammers smashed the windows of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in broad daylight Tuesday and made off with millions of dollars worth of jewelry.
Cops told KABC that five masked men walked up to the front window of Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills at about 2 p.m., smashed the glass, and tore off with multiple items, leaving behind the stolen car they'd arrived in.
According to the store's owners, the robbers left with between $3 million and $5 million worth of jewelry, including a necklace worth almost $500,000, KABC said.
Some passersby were able to get some of the crime on camera.
Beverly Hills smash and grab robbers steal jewelrywww.youtube.com
Following the robbery, and while noting the trend in jewelry thievery, the LAPD issued a warning that people should think twice about wearing expensive jewelry in public, the AP said. Dressing in such a way could make a person a target for criminals in a city where robberies are up everywhere.
"Over the last year there has been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry while in public," the LAPD said in a statement. "If it is visible, it can be a target."
"The choice to wear expensive jewelry is ultimately theirs," Lt. Giovanni Trejo said in an email, the AP reported.
Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills owner Peter Sedghi shared with the AP that many of his customers are now afraid to wear their jewelry anywhere other than special events like wedding and galas.
"Beverly Hills is supposed to be a safe area, you should be able to walk around wearing whatever jewelry you want," Sedghi said.
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