Jewelry store owner in Anaheim scares off large group of attempted burglars with gun

The owner of a jewelry store in Anaheim managed to scare off a group of alleged burglars with a gun Thursday.

The store is locked down tight with double doors made of bulletproof glass, but the group of alleged burglars still managed to break through one of them.

A group of people jumped out of their cars, some armed with large hammers, outside of the Al-Amira Jewelry store in Anaheim and started smashing glass, trying to break in.

Surveillance video shows the owner and employees going about their day as the group began shattering the glass before the owner grabbed his gun.

"I do it for one thing to protect my business, my employee, I have to shoot, I do one shot to scare first," the owner said.

The group quickly ran back to their cars before fleeing the scene.

The owner said he's put serious security measures in place, and he believes that's exactly why the thieves didn't make it inside.

This business isn't the first one thieves have targeted, but it is one of the first where a store owner fought back.

In June, thieves made off with a staggering $1.5 million in gold and diamonds after using power tools to cut through the roof and safes of a family-owned jewelry store in El Monte.

In Encino, another crew used a blowtorch to slice through a wall at the Encino Jewelry Mart, stealing from five different jewelers.

Just a month earlier, in May, two separate crews hit stores in Glendale and Simi Valley, breaking in through the roof and ransacking the businesses.

The owner of Al-Mira stressed that his business is safe and he's determined to keep it that way.

The Anaheim Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident and identify those involved.