Yorba Linda Jewelry Store Heist Halted By Savvy Owner

YORBA LINDA (CBSLA) — The Orange County Sheriff's Department Sunday busted two suspected jewelry thieves they say may be linked to other heists in the region — thanks to the help of a very alert store owner.

OCSD deputies have been on the lookout for jewelry thieves targeting high-end stores across the area. Yesterday, they got a major break in the case after a call from David Heyman.

Heyman told CBS2 that five times over the last four months somebody has tripped a circuit breaker in his store. He says he switched out his lock and made sure the lights were out. Then on Sunday afternoon, when Heyman and his wife drove by their closed business, they noticed the power was off.

First, he thought it was just a mistake before he realized this was a pattern of now-infamous robbers. Heyman called 911.

"The special task force that called me a half-hour later was convinced it was these burglars coming again," Heyman said. In every case, sheriff's deputies say the thieves cut power so the alarm wouldn't sound and dropped into the roof.

Undercover deputies hid in the back of the jewelry store and waited. At 3 a.m., two suspects came in through the front door with a crowbar, damaging two cases, and bolted when they saw the deputies. Security video shows the getaway car speeding off. A video posted on social media shows one suspect jumping a back gate and a woman trying to run from the getaway car.

"I can tell you, I have never seen a happier bunch of sheriffs at three o'clock in the morning out to catch bad guys," Heyman recalled.

Security video shows a getaway car just after the driver dropped off two suspected professional thieves at the store. Seconds later, you can see them bolting out of the neighboring jewelry store with undercover officers on their tails.

Sheriffs deputies say two Chilean nationals believed to be part of a Chilean burglary ring were taken into custody.

Deputies say other suspects remain outstanding.