Family may close jewelry store hit by smash-and-grab

The mob that crashed an SUV through the front door of Kim Hung Jewelry in San José arrived in multiple vehicles and carried out their smash-and-grab robbery in less than a minute.

- BY NATHAN SOLIS

Kim Hung Jewelry THE store owner in San José is shown being shoved Sept. 5 in surveillance video.

The masked robbers stormed through the shattered storefront, brandishing hammers, at least one gun and trash bags to haul away the merchandise, according to police.

The brazen daylight heist, which was caught on video, prompted an angry response from lawmakers, public safety advocates and Vietnamese community leaders who called for increased law enforcement resources to combat organized crime rings. It has also forced the Vietnamese family running the jewelry story to consider abandoning the business.

"This happens way too often," said Tuan Ngo, an organizer with a public safety advocacy group called Asians Unite. "This doesn't have to happen."

Moments before the robbery on Sept. 5, the 88-yearold store owner and his adult son were getting ready to close the family business on Aborn Road in a nondescript strip mall.

They stowed away most of their jewelry into a safe just after 2 p.m., according to relatives. That's when a gray SUV backed into a parking spot outside and jumped the curb, crashing into the front entrance.

The gray Ford Explorer crumbled a metal security gate and shoved a long display case back several feet.

In surveillance video from inside the store, the father and son are seen jumping at the loud crash. The father appeared stunned, while the son runs away from the gnarled metal and broken glass. Relatives declined to identify the father and son for fear of retaliation from the robbers.