Jewelry Store Hit for 3rd Time in 9 Days

Five masked men smashed open the rear door of a West Hollywood jewelry store and scooped up $70,000 worth of gold jewelry and watches early Thursday, the third time in little more than a week that it has been burglarized, company officials and sheriff’s deputies said.

“The first two times were upsetting and annoying,” said Zack Georgian, brother of owner Jean Georgian. “This is just unbelievable. They cleaned us out.”

The break-in at Georgiano Fine Jewelry & Watches occurred at 1:30 a.m. and was captured on surveillance videotape, according to the Sheriff’s Department. It shows five men in ski masks carrying hammers, crowbars and cutting tools moving quickly through the 4-year-old store and filling bags with valuables.

Investigators also found that the thieves cut through two parking lot fences to gain access to the shop’s rear door in the 8700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. “They looked like they knew what they were doing,” said Sheriff’s Det. John Kniest.

The store’s alarm system was activated and the alarm company called Zack Georgian. He called his brother Jean, who arrived in pajamas after the burglars had left.

This was the third burglary in nine days, although the first two were described as “smash and grab” break-ins: Thieves hammered through the shop’s front window and grabbed everything within reach.

“This is very unusual for West Hollywood,” Kniest said. “I’d recommend that jewelry store owners in the area begin locking up all their things overnight.”

Zack Georgian said his brother is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the five men and the return of the merchandise.

In the meantime, the brothers have begun repairing damage to their store. “The reality of it really hasn’t set in,” Zack Georgian said. “The good thing is that it wasn’t a holdup.”