ESCONDIDO, Calif.—A pair of masked men used a vehicle to ram their way into an Escondido jewelry store early today and looted the business.

The vehicular smash-and-grab heist in the 300 block of West Mission Avenue took place shortly after 1:30 a.m., according to the Escondido Police Department.

After breaking into the shop by crashing into it with a white Volkswagen SUV believed to have been stolen two days earlier in Oceanside, the thieves, one of them wielding an ax, broke into display cases, Lt. Bode Berreth said.

They then stole an undisclosed amount of jewelry and cash before fleeing.

No detailed descriptions of the pair were available.

“Both [burglars] wore masks to conceal their identities,” Berreth said.