Group of 20 Suspects Ransack Sunnyvale Jewelry Store, Five Arrested After Police Chase
Surveillance video shows mob of robbers swarm Sunnyvale INDIAN jewelry shop
A group of about 20 suspects ransacked PNG Jewelers in Sunnyvale on Wednesday afternoon, smashing display cases with hammers and fleeing with an unknown amount of jewelry, authorities reported.
The robbery occurred around 1:27 p.m. at the store located at 791 East El Camino Real, according to the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Following the robbery, the suspects fled in multiple vehicles. Responding officers managed to spot two of the vehicles and attempted to pull them over, but the drivers refused to stop, initiating police pursuits that extended into the Peninsula, DPS said.
During the chase, one of the vehicles was lost, but officers observed the suspects in the second vehicle discarding stolen jewelry from the moving car. This pursuit also ended when officers lost sight of the vehicle. However, the abandoned vehicle was later found on Highway 101 near Whipple Avenue in Redwood City.
The five suspects from this vehicle ran across the freeway into a nearby industrial area. Four were apprehended near Industrial Road and Britan Avenue in San Carlos, and the fifth suspect was captured nearby.
The suspects, identified as Tonga Latu, Tavake Esafe, Ofa Ahomana, Kilifi Leaaetoa, and Afuhia Lavakeiaho, were booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on charges including armed robbery, felony vehicle evasion, resisting arrest, burglary, and vandalism, DPS reported.
Some of the stolen jewelry was recovered, but the total value remains unknown. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the robbery victims.
The investigation is ongoing.
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