A surge in violent robberies and high-stakes heists targeting collectible trading cards, including the popular Pokémon cards, has put local authorities and shop owners on high alert across the Bay Area following a violent ambush in San Francisco.
Police are warning residents and visitors to stay alert as pickpocketing incidents rise in Chinatown with officials saying organized groups can steal valuables in seconds.
Concord police are investigating the robbery of a jewelry kiosk at the Sunvalley Shopping Center mall on Wednesday.
Crews spent most of the day boarding up the main entrance to Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Company, a popular Fremont coffee shop, after a breakin early Tuesday morning. It's the fourth breakin in less than two years.
"They were smashing the glass. It sounds like gunshots, but not that loud." Thieves smashed glass display cases and ransacked a jewelry store inside an East Bay mall Monday morning, prompting nearby workers and shoppers to run for safety.