Odah Awad, the owner of Al-Amira Jewelry, a jewelry store in Anaheim, scared off about 20 would-be robbers last Thursday as they gathered outside his store and started to smash down his door with sledgehammers.
Awad was ready for them. He pulled out his handgun and fired a warning shot.
The miscreants quickly piled back into their cards and sped off.
Before Awad had fired his pistol the robbers had already smashed one of his double doors, which are made of bulletproof glass.
Prior to the brazen robbery attempt Awad and his employees were going about their day, as seen in a surveillance video.
Awad later told reporters that “I do it for one thing to protect my business, my employee, I have to shoot, I do one shot to scare first.”
A robbery crew, about a month ago, crashed a vehicle through the front door of Besan Jewelry, another jewelry store in Anaheim located across the street from Al-Amira. In that case the robbers stole jewelry estimated to be worth more than $3 million.
These organized robbery gangs have been very busy this year in Southern California:
- In June, burglars took off with $1.5 million in gold and diamonds after using power tools to cut through the roof and safes of Meza’s Jewelry, a family-owned jewelry store in El Monte.
- Another group of burglars used a blowtorch to slice through a wall at the Encino Jewelry Mart, stealing a small fortune in jewelry from five different jewelers.
- A month earlier, in May, two separate robbery gangs hit stores in Glendale and Simi Valley, breaking in through the roofs and ransacking the businesses.
Now that an O.C. jewelry store owner has armed himself and fought back hopefully more independent retailers will do the same.
It is evident that the robbery crews are targeting businesses owned by ethnic minorities including businesses in Anaheim’s Little Arabia and stores owned by Latinos.
The Anaheim Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident and identify those involved. The robbers likely used stolen cars to evade being easily identified. They were all also covering their faces with black masks during the attempted robbery.
Here’s a summary of the criminal penalties robbers of Southern California jewelry stores may face:
Criminal Penalties for Jewelry Store Robbery in Southern California
- Robbery is a felony under California Penal Code § 211.
- First-degree robbery (e.g., involving inhabited buildings or vehicles):
- 3, 6, or 9 years in state prison.
- Second-degree robbery (all other cases):
- 2, 3, or 5 years in state prison.
Sentence Enhancements may apply if:
- A firearm is used: +10 to 20 years.
- Victim suffers serious injury: +3 to 6 years.
- Multiple robbers are involved: additional prison time.
Other Consequences:
- Permanent felony record.
- Difficulty finding jobs, housing, or obtaining licenses.
- Possible federal charges if interstate commerce or high-value goods are involved.