Safe-crackers in California seen celebrating during jewelry store break-in

A four-man burglary crew was caught on surveillance cameras hugging and high-fiving after successfully breaking into a safe at a West Hollywood jewelry store and making off with precious, one-of-a-kind pieces made by the shop’s owners.

The incident occurred at Huener Jewelry in the 7900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard on June 16 – Father’s Day.

“To be honest with you, it’s very hard,” Robert Goukasian, an owner of the shop, told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade. “I’ve been going through hours of surveillance videos and it’s hard to watch.”

According to the store owners, the thieves, who hit the shop twice, cleaned out two safes and all the store’s display merchandise over a 24-hour period, never set off the shop’s alarm system.

“Both safes had been cut open and your entire work of 40 years is just gone,” Goukasian added.

The owners got a 4 a.m. call from an L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy alerting them to the break-in and telling them that they should come down to their shop.

It’s been a heartbreaking ordeal for the family, especially Goukasian’s father, who left Armenia in 1979 with his family to escape the Soviet Union and start a new life in Los Angeles.

His father started out as an employee of the jewelry store in 1981 and then bought the business in 1986. Since then, Goukasian says his father has given his blood, sweat and tears to build the business and has attracted loyal customers over the years, as well as some celebrities.

“Heartbroken,” Goukasian said of his father. “He kind of explains, you know, the feeling of when your heart sinks into your stomach.”

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As for who got away with the family’s pricey merchandise, investigators say it is likely a sophisticated South American burglary crew, who will probably melt the metal down and ship it back to South America.

For their part, the Goukasian family says they plan to rebuild their beloved business.

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