Police are looking for three robbery suspects following a smash-and-grab robbery that some mistook for a shooting at the Great Mall in Milpitas on Sunday evening, according to police.
The robbery occurred around 7:33 p.m. at the Valliani Jewelers store in the mall at 302 Great Mall Drive, Sgt. Raj Maharaj said. The suspects, described by police as three black men in dark clothing, smashed the displays, stole an undisclosed amount of jewelry and fled.
Investigators said they are looking into the possibility the crime is linked to a similar smash-and-grab hours earlier at another Valliani Jewelers at Vintage Fair Mall in Modesto.
In the immediate moments after the robbery at the Great Mall, Maharaj said officers arrived to find shoppers running because they thought a shooting had occurred. With help from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, San Jose police, the California Highway Patrol and Great Mall management, a search of the mall determined there had not been a shooting.
The mall was reopened to Great Mall staff at 10:40 p.m. after being locked down in an abundance of caution around 8 p.m. The three suspects are not in custody and police continue to investigate the robbery.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police at (408) 586-2400. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call (408) 586-2500 or visit Milpitas police website at http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/crimetip.
