MERCED, Calif. -- Cell phone video shows about a dozen people inside a mall jewelry store in Central California busting glass display cases and stealing merchandise.

"There was jewelry flying everywhere and glass flying everywhere," said Graciela Pena.

Merced Police say they were called to the Merced Mall just before 1 p.m. Tuesday for a disturbance involving a group of 10 to 15 male juveniles and adults.

Video shows thieves shatter jewelry store glass displays at mall in Central California
By Jessica Harrington
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 9:33PM
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Cell phone video shows about a dozen people inside a mall jewelry store in Central California busting glass display cases and stealing merchandise.
MERCED, Calif. -- Cell phone video shows about a dozen people inside a mall jewelry store in Central California busting glass display cases and stealing merchandise.

"There was jewelry flying everywhere and glass flying everywhere," said Graciela Pena.

RELATED: CHP recovers $185,000 worth of stolen merchandise, including items from Louis Vuitton in SF

Merced Police say they were called to the Merced Mall just before 1 p.m. Tuesday for a disturbance involving a group of 10 to 15 male juveniles and adults.

Investigators learned the group showed up to the mall with masks and hammers, smashed the jewelry cases at Prestigio Jewelers, stole items and then took off.

Employees at the Baskin Robbins near the entrance saw the suspects come and go.

"They were running out, you could see the hammers in their hands when they were running out," said Baskin Robbins employee Patricia Bibee.

Merced Police are still trying to determine the total value of the jewelry that was stolen.

Officials say this an unusual event for this community.

"We typically see these types of incidents in the Bay Area and other cities that are maybe not prosecuting these types of cases. We don't typically see that here in Merced," said Merced Police Lt. Emily Foster.

Investigators say they've obtained surveillance video and cell phone video and are now searching for the group involved.

One of the witnesses says it's sad these crimes are happening in Merced.

"It just feels like this is just more common everyday. Like, it didn't even surprise me that it was happening and that's the sad reality, that it didn't even surprise me," Pena said.

No one was injured during the incident. Anyone with information or other cell phone video is asked to call Merced Police at 209-385-6905.

A sheriff in middle Georgia is alive and expected to return to work after being shot in the chest.

Police say bodycam video shows a Snellville man fired the gun.

The incident happened over the weekend in Jones County.

Jones County Deputy John Kile pulled Lucas Olivara over because the Gwinnett County man was going too slow along the country road.

Out of nowhere, Olivara pulled a gun.

“What do you have in there?” bodycam video shows Kile asking Olivara.

“I have nothing. This is my home,” Olivara said.

That’s when Olivara started shooting. The bullet struck Kile in his vest. He was stunned but unharmed.

He then hopped in his patrol car and took off after Olivara.

Kile tried to do a pit maneuver to stop Olivara.

A few miles later, another deputy spun Olivara out. Bodycam video shows Olivara rolling down his window and shooting the gun again.

Only after Olivara was in handcuffs did the deputy look at his chest.

“You can see it didn’t come through. That’s just the impact and the friction,” Kile said on the bodycam video, showing where he was hit.

“So often we see what bad police do. Deputy Kile was doing his job and you can see the consequences of what happened to him,” Jones County Sheriff Butch Reese told Channel 2′s Tony Thomas. “Thank goodness for the vest. He was a blessed man. God looked after him.”

Olivara was taken to a mental hospital for evaluation. His family told Thomas on Monday that he is bipolar.

A man is recovering after being run over by an alleged drunken driver who hit him and three vehicles in a Ponce de Leon Avenue parking lot earlier this month.

The victim, Jeffrey Whitmire, and several other people told Atlanta police that an unknown man was drunk inside a restaurant at 736 Ponce de Leon Ave. asking for someone to call an ambulance before going outside and getting in his car Jan. 7, according to an incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Witnesses said they tried to stop the driver because he appeared to be too inebriated to drive.

Surveillance video posted to YouTube shows the driver in a dark gray Jeep Grand Cherokee backing into a parked pickup truck before pulling forward and hitting a white SUV.

Whitmire, who drove the white SUV, ran toward the erratic driver with his arms raised and yelled at him, Whitmire wrote on his GoFundMe page. Both paused for a moment after the SUV was struck. Then, the driver quickly drove toward Whitmire and ran over him.

Whitmire’s body was completely under the vehicle right next to its left-side tires.

The driver stopped, as there was nowhere to turn, which allowed just enough time for Whitmire to roll out from behind the vehicle before the driver started to reverse. Whitmire wrote on GoFundMe that “adrenaline allowed me to roll out the way.”

Whitmire had injuries to his left shoulder, right knee and a hematoma to the back of the head and was taken to the hospital, according to the police incident report.

The driver then struck a third vehicle twice before eventually exiting the parking lot over what appeared to be large stairs.

“I am mobile, however, my leg received an injury that doesn’t allow me to work until fully healed, which is undetermined at this time given the type of work I do,” Whitmire said about his injuries.

A witness told police the driver left a credit card in the restaurant, according to the incident report. The witness said the driver was last seen heading eastbound on Ponce de Leon.

The Peachtree City Police Department has released video of a brief pursuit on Jan. 18 involving a known wanted person.

Police say that 20-year-old Jordon Johnson took off in his car when they attempted to make contact with him at the Pit Stop on Highway 74 near PDK Boulevard.

The pursuit was brought to an end by an officer using the PIT maneuver.

Johnson was wanted for DUI, driving without a license, felony fleeing/attempting to elude police in Coweta County, a probation violation in Henry County, a warrant for failure to appear on a DUI charge in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and a failure to appear on a driving without a license in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Johnson was booked into the Fayette County Jail on multiple charges.

A Camden County man is accused of stealing an Atlantic City police transport van and ramming two patrol cars shortly after he was released from police custody on attempted burglary of a police car.

Video captured by a resident’s surveillance camera shows officers running from their vehicles as the van backed up into the patrol cars as the driver was cornered on North Iowa Avenue.

A concerned citizen first alerted police at about 7:20 p.m. Friday that a man was trying to steal a marked patrol vehicle parked on Atlantic Avenue, Sgt. Paul Aristizabal said.

Officers William Akins and Jarae Langford, who were at the Public Safety Building, saw the man trying to open the locked driver’s side door to the patrol vehicle, and confronted him, according to the report.

Jason Urbaniak admitted that he was trying to steal the vehicle, and was arrested without incident, Aristizabal said.

He was processed on attempted burglary charges and released on a summons at about 10:50 p.m., according to the report.

Urbaniak, 40, then went into the parked Police Department prisoner van, manipulated the ignition to start it and took off, Aristizabal said.

Police communications was immediately notified of the stolen van.

Officer Tyler Daily found the van minutes later in the 200 block of North Iowa Avenue.

Additional responding officers arrived on scene and pulled behind the van, when Urbaniak put it into reverse, accelerating into two marked patrol vehicles, Aristizabal said.

Officer Consuelo Maldonado suffered a minor injury as a result and was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s City Campus, where she was treated and released.

Officers are seen in surveillance video running from their vehicles as the van heads toward them.

At least one pulled their firearm. Urbaniak was taken into custody without further incident.

The Blackwood resident is charged with two counts each of aggravated assault on police, attempted aggravated assault on police and assault by auto. He also is charged with theft of a motor vehicle, eluding and criminal attempt burglary.

Urbaniak is in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

An investigation into how he was able to start the van is underway.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Atlantic City police at 609-347-5858. Information may also be texted anonymously to tip411 (847411), beginning the text with ACPD.

NOTE: The Atlantic County jail does not release mugshots under an order by the former prosecutor.

This incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. when a convenience store employee called 911 to report a number of customers told him about a man outside with a gun who was threatening to rob the store.

“… But they said that he's flashed a gun and he's talking about robbing the place," said the convenience store employee to the 911 operator.

Two officers in the area arrived on scene about 3 minutes later. They contacted 32-year-old Gary Sherrod who was seated outside the store. Sherrod stood up and officers noticed he had a gun in his hand. The two officers gave multiple commands for Sherrod to drop the gun, which he ignored. Sherrod held the gun in front of his body, moving it around in different directions.

The officers' body worn cameras were activated. However, the views were obstructed at times, including at the time of the shooting.

The officer who fired told investigators Sherrod pointed the weapon in his direction, which resulted in the officer-involved shooting.

Slightly more than a minute elapsed from the time the officers contacted Sherrod to the time of the officer-involved shooting.

After the shooting, officers could see Sherrod no longer had the gun. It was on the ground out of his reach. They moved in to detain him and provided medical aid until the Phoenix Fire Department arrived.

Sherrod was transported to a local hospital to receive treatment for the gunshot wound. He is expected to survive his injuries and upon release from the hospital, will be booked in to jail.