The eight hammer-wielding robbers smashed through Phuong Jewelry in Oakland’s Chinatown on Wednesday, in what is being called the worst robbery the family-owned business has faced in over four decades.
Footage shared with of the break-in shows store owner and mother Diane, 69, desperately ducking for shelter as the robbers, clad in black, begin crashing through the small store.
In just seconds of entering, the masked group raised their weapons and started smashing down on the glass counters as Diane and another woman cowered behind the displays.
The armed suspects continued to ransack the stock as the terrified women screamed for help and bravely attempted to grab what they could from the top of the destroyed cabinets.
With bags in hand, the robbers can be seen quickly piling jewelry into them while continuing their rampage through the store.
Diane begins to wave her hands as she calls for urgent help, before the two women make the heart-stopping decision to make a run for the closest exit.
Crouching, they run down the long space behind the now-smashed counter but the robbers are too occupied with stuffing their sacks with gems and jewels to notice or stop them.
They continue beating their hammers into the glass and reaching into the cabinet with gloved hands while Diane peers around the corner of the doorway as she watches her family-store be torn to shreds.
Then out of nowhere the group begin to scatter and head towards the door, as a man in red emerges from the doorway with a firearm in hand.
Diane’s heroic husband, 76, storms out through the store as the criminals make their dash out of the shop.
Speaking to the news site, the shaken-up store owner’s son, Tony Trinh, said the shop had been robbed before, but never to this magnitude.
‘I thought, did my mother get shot? Did my father get shot? Did any of our staff of community members?’ he said.
According to reports, around 85 to 95 per cent of the stock was nabbed in the heist, and Diane’s American Dream came crashing down all in under one minute.
Tony said his mom was ‘devastated’ and his dad ‘broken’ following the ordeal.
But the horror incident hasn’t dampened Diane’s working spirit as her son revealed she would be back on the shop floor today.
We can’t let our fear overcome! The only way to reduce crime is to have more traffic, events, people to get more resources. A strong Oakland Chinatown is strong for every community in Oakland,’ said Tony.
The local community and the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council have pulled together to set up a GoFundMe to help the family make up for the massive loss they incurred following the robbery.
Oakland Police informed the news site that they are currently investigating the case, and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Oakland is suffering a worrying surge in crime as the area has been more frequently plagued with robberies.
As a result of the relentless criminal activity, several popular restaurants have had to close their dining room doors as staff worry for their safety.
Earlier this week, that Taco Bell locations in Oakland were forced into becoming drive-thru only amid a concerning series of robberies.
Four of five locations across the Bay Area city now display large signs from their windows that read: ‘DINING ROOM CLOSED’.
Sources said that the owner of one local franchise has even threatened to close outright if the security situation doesn’t improve.
In late January a nearby Denny’s fast food diner closed due to the violence and in February it was announced that is set to shut after 18 years, with the business stating that customers and staff are now ‘unsafe’.