‘They pretty much emptied the entire store’ — Irvine jewelry store hit by smash-and-grab robbers

At least $1 million worth of jewelry was stolen from a business during a smash-and-grab robbery in Irvine on Monday, nine days after police arrested three suspects on suspicion of robbing Kay Jewelers at the Irvine Spectrum.

The latest robbery occurred around noon at Jewels By Alan, a store in the Park Place shopping center on Michelson Drive and Jamboree Road. A sales associate and two customers were inside the store, along with the owner and business partner, when a man dressed in black entered the business and smashed a showcase near the door.

“The sound of (the glass breaking) echoed so loudly, it really sounded like a gunshot,” said the owner’s business partner Michael, who did not provide his last name for fear of being targeted.

Two additional suspects entered the store and began smashing the showcases with what the business partner described as a sledgehammer, before scooping the jewelry into large trash cans. The customers lie flat on the floor and covered their faces as fragments of shattered display glass fell over their heads and torso, security footage shows.

“They broke every single showcase and pretty much emptied the entire store,” said Michael.

No one was injured during the robbery. The three suspects fled shortly after, possibly in a gray Honda.

Irvine police officials could not immediately be reached for additional details on the robbery.