Stolen vehicle rammed into Anaheim store in $1 million jewelry heist; suspects later crash in getaway cars

Thieves rammed a stolen vehicle into an Anaheim store on Friday afternoon, stealing roughly $1 million worth of jewelry, authorities said.

After the heist, the alleged suspects got into two separate car crashes and later were taken into custody.

The suspects drove a stolen black Nissan Rogue through the front of the Classic Jeweler store located at 5753 E Santa Ana Canyon Road in Anaheim on Friday, Jan. 23 at around 2:30 p.m. to gain entry and rob the business, according to Anaheim police officer Sgt Eric Anderson. The suspects, who have not been identified by authorities, also stole a firearm that was hidden behind the counter.

After grabbing the jewelry, the suspects abandoned the stolen vehicle at the scene and fled in two Dodge Chargers, one silver and the other gray.

An Anaheim police officer saw a vehicle matching the description of one of the getaway cars near East Street on the 91 freeway. The officer followed the vehicle as it made an exit on Lemon Street and continued northbound. As the vehicle approached Orangethorpe Avenue, it crashed into at least two other vehicles, Anderson said.

The driver of the suspected suspected getaway car tried to run away but was immediately detained. The vehicle’s three passengers were located after a search of the area and taken into custody.

A short time later, police officers in a helicopter located the second getaway vehicle near the intersection of Harbor and Brea boulevards in Fullerton. After requesting assistance from the Fullerton Police Department, the officers in the helicopter witnessed the second suspected getaway car crash into at least two other vehicles near the intersection of Euclid Street and Malvern Avenue. Officers arrived shortly thereafter and detained two suspects from the second vehicle.

A firearm located at the scene of the second crash was recovered, though authorities have not confirmed whether it’s the firearm that was stolen from the jewelry store, Anderson. Some jewelry was recovered at both crash sites.

Two other suspects were later located hiding behind nearby residences and detained.

Uninvolved motorists from both car collision scenes were taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries.

Anderson said all suspects are in custody due to the “outstanding police work” of both involved agencies and added that information provided by residents and witnesses was instrumental to their work.