Thieves tunneled from shop to shop overnight Wednesday in a heist that netted thousands of dollars worth of stolen jewelry at Santee Alley in downtown Los Angeles.
The burglars bashed through the wall of Jair Refugio-Guzman's jewelry shop. Security camera video showed the intruders ransacking Gilded Jewelry, taking chains, earrings, bracelets and rings.
He estimates about $6,000 worth of merchandise was stolen.
"We are business owners, but we are still a small business," Refugio-Guzman said. "I have a son. I have a family. I have bills to pay. I have to feed my family somehow, and this is how I feed them. When this happens, this comes out of our pockets. I don't have insurance."
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The burglars also left large holes in shop walls.
Five men appeared to be part of the burglary crew that broke into his shop around midnight, Refugio-Guzman said. They had tools, which were used to tunnel into his store and other shops, that were left at his shop when the security alarm sounded.
No arrests were reported Friday morning.
