An 88-year-old jewelry store owner in San Jose, California, is recovering at home after a violent smash-and-grab robbery at his family business, police said on Sept 8.

The robbery took place just after 2 p.m. on Sept. 5, at Kim Hung Jewelry in the 1900 block of Aborn Road in East San Jose.

Suspects rammed a stolen vehicle through the storefront, shattering the glass and allowing more than a dozen masked and hooded robbers to storm inside, police said in a statement to media outlets.

Armed with at least one handgun, the group smashed display cases and grabbed handfuls of jewelry. The store’s owner, whose name has not been publicly released, was shoved to the ground during the raid.

The entire incident lasted less than a minute, but it left the store in ruins.

The attack, captured on surveillance video, has reignited debate over organized retail crime in California, with friends of the family calling for greater accountability from state leaders amid a perceived lack of funding for anti-crime measures.

Chris Moore, a friend of the family and board member of the East Bay Rental Housing Association, described the harrowing moment.

“If you watch that video, about 10 seconds in ... you'll see they just push him to the ground,” Moore told The Epoch Times on Sept. 8. “He’s an 88-year-old guy, and they just, kind of indiscriminately, just push him down to the ground.”

Initially treated for cuts and bruises, the owner soon showed signs of confusion while speaking with family members after the robbery, Moore said.

“As the family was talking to him, he started to kind of get ... he wasn’t making sense, and so they realized he had a stroke,” Moore said. Paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he remained through the weekend before being released in stable condition.

“They say he’s stable. He got out of the hospital. He’s stable,” Moore added. “They got stroke medicine into him quick enough so it didn’t impact anything significant on him.”

The Epoch Times could not independently verify this information.

Much of the store’s high-end inventory had been secured in a time-delay safe earlier that day, potentially limiting the suspects’ haul, although the value of stolen items remains undisclosed.

Kim Hung Jewelry, which has been in business for more than 40 years, now sits boarded up, its future uncertain.

“They’re not sure they’re going to be able to reopen, because they don’t have $50,000 sitting around,” Moore said. “The store is boarded up right now. ... So they’re essentially out of business for the time being.”

The family would like to raise funds to rebuild, but is still deciding on how to move forward, especially with the owner unlikely to return, his niece said at the press conference held in front of the store.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan condemned the raid on X.

“This is appalling. Watching this senior get assaulted made my blood boil,” Mahan said. “These people need to face the harshest possible consequences for their actions. I’ve been in touch with our Police Chief and will be following the investigation closely.”

The incident has drawn sharp community backlash.

A rally, organized by the Coalition for Community Engagement, was held on Sept. 7 outside the damaged storefront. Dozens gathered to demand tougher enforcement against smash-and-grab crimes in the Bay Area.

Coalition founder Edward Escobar highlighted the broader challenges for small businesses.

“Small businesses cannot withstand these types of attacks,” he said.

He also noted underreporting due to fears of insurance cancellations: “What we’re experiencing also is a lack of reporting of crime by business owners, especially small business owners. Why? Because their business insurance may be canceled.”

Rally participants called for expanded use of Flock Safety cameras to track stolen vehicles and more funding for law enforcement under Proposition 36, the 2024 voter-approved measure aimed at cracking down on organized retail theft.

Moore, speaking as a family friend, framed the robbery not as a hate crime but as part of a persistent crime wave.

“This is typical,” he said. “This kind of stuff happens in Oakland almost every day. This particular scene happened in San Jose. But this is just a continuance.”

He attributed the boldness to perceived leniency in policing, linking it to “the continuance of the defunding of police.”

The San Jose Police Department did not return a request for comment.

The robbery fits a pattern of similar incidents across California, where smash-and-grab heists have targeted jewelry stores and retailers amid economic strains and debates over criminal justice reforms.

While Proposition 36 was intended to toughen penalties for repeat criminals, implementation challenges, largely adequate funding from counties, persist.