2 S.F. Jewel Heists Net Thieves $200,000

Thieves took $200,000 worth of goods in two jewelry robberies in one day, and one of the holdups appears to be the work of a gang responsible for a series of West Coast heists.

The Thursday holdups came just a week after gunmen ambushed a jewelry salesman in Chinatown as he walked to his car. They took $2 million in gems and pearls.

The first robbery Thursday involved three men who escaped with $50,000 in jewelry after one of the robbers pulled a gun on a salesman. In the second holdup, a robber armed with a knife escaped with $150,000 worth of jewels.

Investigators believe the thieves in the first holdup were members of a Colombian gang that has committed several similar robberies on the West Coast in the last five years, police said.

The FBI and police have set up a task force to track the Colombians, who may include former policemen and military officers, investigators said. The robbers seem to know their victims’ routines and are rarely on the scene for more than a few minutes.