Police release Milpitas Great Mall jewelry store robbery suspect photos
MILPITAS, Calif. (KTVU) - Police in Milpitas on Monday continued to search for three men they say smashed glass jewelry store displays at the Great Mall, setting off a shooting scare, causing shoppers to run for cover and a lockdown of the busy shopping center.
Police have released photos of the suspects in action and their vehicle. All three men they are seeking were wearing black-hooded sweatshirts that read 'U.S. Polo Assn' in white lettering along the right sleeve. All three suspects were described as black men.
Suspect 1 was wearing red shorts, white socks and red shoes. Suspect 2 was wearing a white undershirt, light-blue shorts with small designs and had white and black shoes. Suspect 3 had a white undershirt, faded light-colored jeans and had white and black shoes, according to police.
The suspect vehicle, seen in surveillance photos, is a black four-door sedan. Police said the car drove away in an "unknown direction."
Police confirmed Monday that a shooting did not occur in the mall Sunday night. Shoppers mistook the sound of breaking glass for the sound of gun shots, police said.
Police said the mall was briefly placed on lockdown following the initial reports of gun shots at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Shoppers were then evacuated, escorted to the parking lots and asked to leave. For the next three hours, police searched the mall for potential shooters or victims.
None were found.
At 10:30 p.m. police gave the all clear and announced there was no threat to the public.
Police also confirmed the theft of an unspecified amount of jewelry at Valliani Jewelers. Police said three men are wanted in connection to the robbery.
Milpitas police detectives are in contact with Modesto Police Department because of a similar incident there that happened on the same day at the Valliani Jewelers at the Vintage Faire Mall. It is not known if the suspects in the Modesto robbery are the same as those involved in Milpitas.
If you have any information regarding these incidents at the Valliani Jewelers; you are encouraged to call the Milpitas Police Department at (408) 586-2400. Additionally, the information can be given anonymously by calling the Crime Tip Hotline at (408) 586-2500.