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Simi Valley business owner Jonathan Youssef competed for modest jewellery and repair shops on Memorial Day morning, fearing the worst.
The business owner next door called him just after 6am and said the robber broke into a coffee and candy store, violated the establishment of Youssef, and repairs his five-star jewelry and watch.
His father and the shop founder, 71-year-old Jacoub Youssef, had already arrived at the shop inside the strip mall.
The safe looked just like that. Jacob tried to reassure his son, who had just arrived.
But Jonathan wasn’t that sure.
“It was like films like ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and ‘The Work of Italy,'” said Jonathan Youssef, co-owner of the store. “I couldn’t believe it, but I told my dad to open the safe.”
The patriarch did so, but only to find something missing with gold bullion, client gems, decades of savings and other items.
Jonathan Youssef says community members have been providing support and sympathy in the wake of the robbery.
(Al Cebu/Because of the era)
“It was worth the work of a lifetime – of struggle – disappeared,” Jonathan Youssef said as he fought back tears Tuesday evening. “Everything we owned, and even worse, our family heirlooms are gone. I can’t imagine it.”
Simi Valley police received a call from Youssefs at 6:33am. Senior police officer Casey Nicholson said it was unclear that he was unable to access Dr. Conkey’s candy and coffee shop next to the roof.
Nicholson did not confirm how the robbers moved to the jewelry and repair shop. Surveillance footage provided to KTLA showed a robber raw the floor.
Jonathan Youssef said detectives told him a security camera that spray-painted the robber when he entered Dr. Konke. They then cut both the walls for about three hours and cut about eight inches of his 5,000 pounds of safety. They cut a wooden frame-sized hole and grabbed everything inside.
The thief drilled a hole in a 5-star jewelry and watch repair safe in Shimi Valley.
(Al Cebu/Because of the era)
“They weren’t leaning forward. This wasn’t their first rodeo,” Jonathan Yousef said of the robbery. “They knew where the camera was, how to avoid detection, what kind of equipment would be used to enter safely.”
Jonathan Youssef estimated that his store lost private stocks ranging from $2 million to $2.5 million — gold bullion, silver bars, white gold and platinum pieces, cash, multiple high-end Rolex, TAG Heuer and Omega watches, center stone diamond engagement rings, and more.
“It was a store merchandise and a lifelong accumulation of work for my father,” Jonathan Yousef said. “He is devastated over losses.”
Jonathan Yousef said his father was “too distraught” for him to talk to the media. Elder Yousef moved to the United States from Egypt in the early 1970s as a 19-year-old.
He owns several other small businesses and handed over a jewelry store that his son opened in 2015 25 years ago, Jonathan Yousef said.
They had just decided to shorten their storage time as their father approached retirement. Jonathan had purchased the sign on Monday to reflect the changes.
“He was slowly decreasing a few hours away from the store until his actual retirement at the end of the year,” Jonathan Yousef said.
However, these plans are currently in fluidity.
Young Youssef said he couldn’t afford to guarantee that his store was safe, so that’s a complete loss. According to Jonathan Youssef, the only part covered by insurance is damaged and ultimately ineffective safety.
“My father doesn’t want to retire now,” his son said. “He wants to work to help him recoup some of these losses.”
Young Youssef estimates the store is hundreds of thousands of dollars of red as the gems belonging to about 100 neighboring customers have been lost. He said the main business in the store is not selling jewelry, but changing it and repairing it.
“These are irreplaceable items that are difficult to accept,” Jonathan Youssef said. “We didn’t really care about our inventory.”
Since the news broke, customers have effectively turned the store into a commemorative site, Jonathan Youssef said.
“I came here and wept about stolen engagement rings and grandma’s diamond earrings,” he said. “There was a guy screaming in my face about my wife’s wedding ring, and it just hurts. It’s rough.”
Kativan Etten, CEO and president of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the robbery had shocked the neighborhood.
“It’s a very safe community and I don’t think these types of things will happen, so it’s very difficult,” she said. “And they did everything right from having security and taking precautions.”
Van Etten said several commerce members reached out to her and asked her how they could help. She said some are planning to bring meals to Youssefs.
“This is the type of community where people stick together and help each other,” Van Etten said.
Young Youssef said he was supported by members of the community who delivered hope and embrace shortly after the robbery.
One of his top clients created an online fundraising campaign, hoping to raise $20,000 to cover some of the losses. The fund had reached nearly $18,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“My family is grateful for our community, our community, for everything,” he said. “We have an obligation to this community and we will not rest until all those who have lost something are compensated.”
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