$1.5 Million in Jewelry Stolen in Mall Parking Lot

A team of armed robbers swiped $1.5 million worth of diamond-encrusted jewelry from two vendors as they exited the Fashion Island shopping center Wednesday afternoon, Newport Beach police said.

Three or four thieves approached the vendors in a parking lot behind Bloomingdale’s as the salesmen were placing two briefcase-style sample boxes in the trunk of their rented Mitsubishi Gallant, Police Sgt. Mike McDermott said. When one of the robbers flashed a large handgun, he said, the vendors handed over the goods.

The salesmen, whose names were not released, had just made a scheduled visit to the Traditional Jewelers store in the shopping center, McDermott said. They were not harmed in the incident, which happened about 2:15 p.m., police said.

The robbers sped off in an older-model compact car, possibly a green Honda, driven by a woman who was waiting for them, police said. Officers scoured the area by foot and from the air but did not find the robbers.

Based on the robbers’ procedures, police believe they belong to a loose network of South American gem snatchers based in Los Angeles.

Such stalk-and-snatch jewelry thefts have become increasingly common. In 1997 and 1998, police reported about 100 attacks on jewelers and couriers in Orange County.

In Newport Beach, McDermott said, “this is a situation we have run across a couple times before.”

Missing are platinum and gold necklaces, rings and earrings, many studded with diamonds, authorities said. The more exquisite of the pieces are documented with detailed appraisals and snapshots. Given the 50% to 100% markup on gems, police estimated that the retail value of the jewelry could be as much as $3 million.

McDermott said it is unlikely that the jewels will ever be recovered. If they are, the vendors’ documentation for the pieces may help authorities identify them.

Apparently, no shoppers saw the brazen daytime heist, McDermott said. But they were abuzz with news of the incident Wednesday night at Fashion Island.

“Shoppers were in the line of fire,” said Irvine resident Mary Watson, a regular shopper at the center, but “I don’t feel unsafe here. At least they were robbers, not murderers.”

Employees of Traditional Jewelers would not comment on the incident. But Nan Ruvelson, who manages the fine jewelry counter at nearby Bloomingdale’s, said such crimes are not uncommon.

“To have two cases taken at midday in a crowded parking lot--these people are bold,” she said. “It’s not as unusual as you would think. We’ve had vendors whose cars were sabotaged.”