During the past several months organized gangs have targeted shops in California.
At approximately 3:45am on 7/19/2022 Alhambra Coin Center was the target of a smash and grab burglary. A stolen vehicle with Texas license plates was used to smash through the front window knocking down the security gates. After the window was shattered approximately nine suspects ran from across the street and entered the store. The suspects were inside the store for one minute and thirty seconds and stole $80-100K in luxury bags and products.
Police responded in several minutes but suspects abandoned the stolen vehicle and left the scene.
Dealers should be on high alert. Organized groups will place the targeted business under surveilance during open and closed hours. It is common for suspects to visit a shop prior to committing the offense. Employees should document any suspicious persons who enter the store and write down their description including vehicle if possible. False alarms may be a tactic of suspects to determine response time of local police. It is important for shop owners to know whether the central monitoring station contacts the owner first before calling police. If that is the case, that further delays police response.
Camera and alarm systems should be evaluated on a yearly basis to insure you have updated and quality equipment. Video/cameras are key to most investigations but law enforcement cannot prosecute what they cannot see!
Anyone with information contact:
Doug Davis
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org