Robbers Steal $1.5 Million in Jewelry

NEWPORT BEACH — Armed robbers stole $1.5 million worth of diamond-encrusted jewelry from two vendors as they left the Fashion Island shopping center Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Three or four thieves approached the vendors at about 2:15 p.m. in a parking lot behind Bloomingdale’s, as the salesmen were placing two briefcase-style sample boxes in the trunk of their rented car, Sgt. Mike McDermott said. When one robber flashed a large handgun, he said, the vendors handed over the goods.

The thieves 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.”