In the past three months, a window-shattering thief or thieves plundered three Laguna Beach businesses that sell Native American jewelry, two of which were hit twice within weeks of the first break-in, according to police.
In the most recent incident on Saturday, March 10, the French door of the Kokopelli Gallery, at 332 Forest Ave., was shattered by a thief who stole $3,500 worth of jewelry in less than a minute. The act was caught on videotape, which police released on Monday. A similar break-in occurred at the same jewelry store 11 days earlier. Losses then tallied $10,000 in stones and jewelry, according to Lt. Jason Kravetz.
First to be targeted was Indian Territory, 305 N. Coast Highway, where a thief broke in Dec. 29 and made off with $3,000 worth of Navajo coins and turquoise necklaces. Three weeks later, a window-breaking culprit stole a $15,000 Navajo collector’s set, which included 11 concha coral medallions.
In between, a thief shattered the front window of the Great Exchange Consignment store at 976 S. Coast Highway on Jan. 30, emptying a display case of jewelry whose value was not estimated.
The thief who left the Kokopelli gallery was seen wearing a dark jacket, white baseball hat and sweat pants with white striping on the sides.
For further information, please contact Kravetz at 949-497-0307, or via email at[email protected].
