Rancho Bernardo jewelry store owner stops smash-and-grab robbery

A jewelry store owner took matters into his own hands to stop a smash-and-grab robbery Tuesday in Rancho Bernardo.

The incident happened just before 5 p.m. at KZ Jewelry Designs in the Rancho Bernardo Town Center.

In what is likely the best picture police have of the would-be robber, the suspect, who is thought to be a man, is in a bucket hat, masked and wearing all black except for his red gloves.

“He would have cleared us out if we wouldn’t have done anything. He was not afraid. It was weird,” owner Rose Zarrabi said.

She was still shaken three hours afterward. She and her husband, Kamyar, have owned and operated the jewelry store for more than 10 years.

The Zarrabi’s say detectives told them that this was not a random smash-and-grab and that the suspect had likely been in the store before. He came covered head-to-toe, hammer in hand, and without a word, walked into the shop and began smashing cases.

Rose took photos from the security camera video inside the store.

"When I yelled stop, he looked at me and then bash. Like he didn’t care,” Rose said.

With a ball-peen hammer left behind, the pictures show the suspect going from display case to display case, smashing the glass and grabbing the merchandise. The robber did not even use a bag. He just hugged the jewelry to his chest.

“I’ve heard of smash-and-grabs. I never thought it would happen to us, but I don’t carry Rolex. I do not carry high-end things. We’re just a small mom-and-pop place," Rose said.

The suspect might have gotten away with it, too, if Rose’s husband hadn’t fired a warning shot into the ceiling from a handgun he kept around for protection.

“I believe that he was under duress at that time, and so he did what he felt was necessary to keep his wife safe,” Sgt. Christopher Harrison from the San Diego Police Department said.

“The guy stopped, dropped everything and took off running. There was jewelry scattered everywhere and glass,“ Rose said.

No one was injured, but the would-be robber escaped. Rose says the store had been burglarized in the past but never during operating hours, and there was never a need to fire a weapon.

The business is insured, but recovering their peace of mind may take a while longer.

“I don’t know if I want to open my door now," Rose said.

Police say it appears the suspect arrived on foot and left the same way. The suspect acted alone.