SAN JOSE — When Linh arrived at her uncle’s jewellery retailer earlier this month, she discovered a sea of police vehicles and her 88-year-old uncle sitting in a chair in entrance of the shop, shaking and panicked – “in shock,” she mentioned.
It was solely about ten minutes after a automotive had rammed into the entrance of Kim Hung Jewellery on Aborn Highway in San Jose. A crowd of greater than a dozen individuals rushed in, smashed jewellery circumstances and made off with a bounty of stolen jewellery within the stunning Sept. 5 theft; her uncle was violently shoved to the bottom by one of many robbers.
The incident garnered worldwide headlines and widespread outrage. The theft was one in all a number of brazen Bay Space smash-and-grabs which have made headlines in current weeks. Twenty individuals, some armed with weapons, stormed a jewellery retailer in San Ramon on Monday. Investigators linked a gang primarily based in East Oakland with dozens of robberies together with smash-and-grabs throughout the East Bay.
Lower than one minute after the mass crime on the San Jose jewellery retailer, a second group of 4 individuals entered the ransacked store to see whether or not there was something left to steal, mentioned Linh, who requested to solely be recognized by her first identify as a consequence of security issues.
Video shared by Linh exhibits a white sedan pulling up and 4 individuals, wearing black hoodies and masks, working into the shop armed with hammers, then working again into the automotive simply seconds later after they see the empty jewellery circumstances. Linh’s cousin — the son of the shop’s proprietor, who had additionally been working within the retailer, and was about to name the police when the second group of robbers arrived — “just stayed there and looked at them,” Linh mentioned.
Kim Hung Jewellery was the life’s work of Linh’s uncle Bui, who she requested be recognized solely by his household identify as a consequence of security issues. He began out as a jeweler whereas dwelling in Vietnam and opened his first retailer in California about 40 years in the past.
The theft prompted the creation of a brand new program in Santa Clara County that gives funds to small companies to put in concrete obstacles and expertise connecting safety cameras to a real-time intelligence heart on the San Jose Police Division.
Linh’s household has not but acquired any updates on SJPD’s investigation, she mentioned. As of a press convention on Sept. 17, no arrests had been introduced. SJPD didn’t reply to an inquiry Friday about updates within the investigation.
On the scene, Linh instantly examined her uncle for accidents, she mentioned. His toes have been bloodied by shards of damaged glass, and he had a bruise on his neck and reduce on his hand. At first, none of his accidents appeared too critical.
When one in all Linh’s cousins arrived with a primary help equipment, they discovered extra to be involved about: the bottoms of her uncle’s ft have been lined in blood after they eliminated his flip-flops. They eliminated three shards of glass from his ft, however Purchase mentioned he didn’t really feel a factor.
“I asked him, ‘Uncle, (do) you feel it under your feet?’” Linh mentioned. “Three pieces of the glass stick on. He did not feel it.”
“When you see something like that, it’s already (heartbreaking),” Linh added.
Linh requested her uncle how he was feeling and whether or not he was in any ache. However all her uncle mentioned in response was repeat “Oh my god” and “Ready to go home” in Vietnamese.
That’s after they realized that one thing extra was improper and referred to as an ambulance.
When the paramedics requested her uncle what time of yr it was, he informed them it was the start of August, Linh mentioned. Once they requested him the place he was, he mentioned he didn’t know.
On the hospital, medical doctors confirmed after an MRI scan that Purchase had skilled a stroke, Linh mentioned.
Purchase spent two days within the hospital, the place he suffered a coronary heart assault whereas taking blood thinners to deal with the stroke, Linh mentioned. The medical doctors confirmed that each the stroke and the center assault have been outcomes of the stress of the theft.
After a interval of restoration, he was despatched dwelling, the place Linh’s cousin has since been caring for him.
“The whole family tried to come to his house every single day to talk to him,” Linh mentioned.
Purchase is out of the woods for the center assault and stroke, however the restoration of his psychological well being will take for much longer, Linh mentioned. When Linh visited him earlier this week and requested how he was doing, he stored telling her, “It’s so scary.”
“All the family, all my cousins, they all say, ‘It’s so terrible, it’s so terrible,’ ” Linh mentioned. “What happened to California now? What happened to the society now? What will happen to all of the small businesses?”
Purchase’s son was additionally traumatized when one of many robbers pointed a gun at his head, Linh mentioned – which made him really feel like he was within the second “between the death and the life.”
Linh expressed her gratitude for the help her household has acquired for the reason that theft.
“Thank you (to) all (the) Vietnamese community and all of the people in San Jose,” Linh mentioned. “We need the safety of the community, not just only for the Vietnamese. That’s for the whole community in San Jose.”
The jewellery retailer can be closed for 2 to 3 months for repairs, Linh mentioned. They should order new showcases, restore the entrance of the shop with stronger supplies and look ahead to special-order provides. The shop had insurance coverage, however the household will nonetheless should pay for some repairs out of pocket.
The household additionally has to pay for the components of Purchase’s medical payments that aren’t lined by his insurance coverage, Linh added.
However even when the shop reopens, Purchase is not going to be returning.
“We don’t allow him to go to the store anymore,” Linh mentioned. “(If) it happened again, what (would) happen to him if we’re not catching it on time?”
“We feel bad, we feel sad,” Linh added. “Jewellery … is his life.
“He’s very sad if he cannot go back to the store.”
Initially Revealed: September 26, 2025 at 3:11 PM PDT
