Manhattan Beach police are investigating a second unusual robbery that follows a troubling pattern seen just a month earlier — fake jewelry being placed on a victim while their real jewelry is stolen.
The latest incident, which police are calling a “distraction theft,” took place around 1:45 p.m. on March 20 in the area of Polliwog Park. Details of the crime were included in the Manhattan Beach Police Department’s monthly crime report released last Friday.
According to police, the victim was approached by multiple suspects. While distracting the victim by placing fake jewelry on them, the suspects managed to remove the victim’s actual jewelry before fleeing the scene.
Although police have not shared many details about this specific case, the method used is nearly identical to another robbery that occurred in February.
In that earlier case, a woman was approached by a man in a vehicle who asked for directions. The man, described as a Middle Eastern male in his 30s or 40s, claimed he struggled with English and asked the woman to translate a message on his phone.
After she helped and returned the phone, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist and attempted to place a gold ring on her finger. He also tried to put two gold chains around her neck.
As the woman tried to pull away, a female passenger — also described as Middle Eastern and around the same age, with black hair — reached out from the back window and yanked the chain the victim was already wearing, trying to steal it.
The victim resisted and managed to keep her jewelry, but was dragged to the ground as the car sped away. She suffered minor scrapes and bruises, according to police.
Officers later recovered the fake jewelry, which was sent for DNA testing. Investigators also canvassed the area for security footage.
So far, police have not confirmed whether the two robberies are connected. No additional information has been released about the March case.
Still, the similarities between the two incidents are striking. Both cases involve suspects using fake jewelry to distract their victims and steal valuable items. Police are treating both robberies as serious and ongoing investigations.
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