Dozens of robbery suspects fire shots, ransack jewelry store at the City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon
Gunshots were fired during a brazen armed robbery case in San Ramon Monday afternoon. More than a dozen thieves were involved and some suspects have been detained.
Cellphone video shows armed robbery suspects running to try and get away after ransacking Heller Jewelers at the City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon.
Moments before this, while individuals were still inside smashing display cases and taking items according to police, the front door to the store locked. The thieves couldn't get it open so they took matters into their own hands. San Ramon police say several suspects were armed with handguns.
At least one person fired shots to bust out the glass door and then everyone ran out, not just five or six people, but almost 20 according to officers.
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"Broad daylight and anybody could have gotten hit," said Carl Battiste of San Ramon.
"This type of organized crime, it's definitely something that needs to be taken like higher consideration to," said Ashwin Marichetty of San Ramon.
Police say after the armed robbery, the suspects had several getaway cars ready to go in the valet area.
As some drove off it appears they threw the small pillow cases used to hold jewelry, out the window. Those cases had evidence markers next to them later on.
It's unclear how much was taken, but no one was hurt.
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"We passed by, saw the caution tape and a bunch of people like around the crime scene area, I saw police officers," said Marichetty.
Police say air support tracked the suspects through Contra Costa County and into Alameda County. At last check, officers tell us suspects were detained at two locations in Oakland and another spot in Dublin.
"Honestly it's crazy because the scale of these robberies is getting a lot larger, like I think two years ago in 2023 this happened before, but it was a couple people - this looked like 20-30 people," said Sahil Tallam of San Ramon.
That 2023 case actually involved five suspects who were later caught, still though not the number of people seen here.
"It's just sad that this is becoming more of the norm, day in and day out," said Battiste.
