NATIONAL CITY (NEWS 8) - A search is on for three men who robbed a National City strip mall jewelry store Tuesday afternoon.
According to police, the three suspects went into the Alpha & Omega Jewelry Store on Sweetwater Road and began smashing cases.
Investigators said the robbers smashed about five to six jewelry cases. One employee jumped a case and tried to chase after the trio. An employee said the suspects took off westbound.
One employee was injured by broken glass.
“One employee did get hurt on some of the broken class before we got there. He has been bandaged up. The blood on the ground appears to be his blood but we are processing all the blood as evidence,” said Lt. Robert Rounds, National City Police.
According to authorities, at least one of the suspects was armed with a gun during the heist.
Nearby stores in the strip mall with surveillance cameras shared the video with police but declined to share the video with News 8.
Police said that at least $5,000 in jewelry was stolen, including watches, rings and necklaces.
Tuesday's theft appeared similar to two other heists that have taken place throughout San Diego County, but police would not confirm if Tuesday's heist was related to the other two.
San Diego CrimeStoppers does has a $1,000 reward for two Jared Jewelry heists. One of them happened in December in Mission Valley where two black males in their 20s or 30s held up an employee with a gun demanding them not to move. Police said using a crowbar or a hammer, one of the suspects smashed the case dumping the jewels in a duffel bag. The other hold up took place in January at the Bert Levi Jewelry in Hillcrest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
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