A would-be thief got more than he bargained for when he tried to rob a family-owned jewellery store in El Monte over the weekend.
Surveillance cameras captured the suspected burglar walking down Main Street around 2pm on 2 September dressed in all black, wearing a face mask and holding a cardboard box.
Sitting outside his family’s shop, 70-year-old Arturo was sprayed with bear repellent by the suspect.
“I felt my skin peeling off my face, my head, my chest,” he told KTLA in Spanish.
The pain didn’t stop the 70-year-old from running into his family’s jewellery store to fight back, and his brother, niece and nephews all came to his defence, struggling to restrain the intruder as he smashed the display case and tried to grab whatever valuable merchandise he could get his hands on.
Miguel, a co-owner of Meza’s, beating the suspect with a stick and forcing the man, who lost his shirt in the struggle, to run out of the shop as staff chased him down the pavement.
“The first thing I thought about was protecting my family,” Miguel said in Spanish. “He can take the gold, but my instinct was to start hitting him.”
Although the suspect got away empty-handed, the family said they were devastated by the violent attack on their livelihood.
“To be honest, I didn’t even think twice,” said family member Israel. “I just saw my family struggling with him and I decided to step in and help them. We work so hard for this and for someone to just steal it, it’s not cool, you know?”
This attempted smash-and-grab robbery follows a series of similar crimes targeting Southland retailers.
Last week, suspects reportedly stole more than $500,000 worth of merchandise from a jewellery store in Pasadena. The store owner was also pepper sprayed during the robbery.
Rossana, co-owner of the El Monte jewellery store, said family-owned businesses like Meza’s are particularly vulnerable to this type of smash-and-grab robbery, and while she’s able to repair the damage done to her store, she says she has lingering concerns.
“It’s very scary,” she told KTLA. “You know, you never know if he’s going to come back. It’s getting pretty dangerous to have a business here.”
Detectives said the suspect seen in the video took off in a grey Dodge Charger and he’s still on the run. Authorities have collected the hammer the suspect used as evidence, but are asking anyone who recognises the man to call the El Monte Police Department.
