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Robbers rush into San Jose jewelry store after crashing car into storefront

A San Jose business owner is recovering after he was assaulted during a smash-and-grab robbery. More than a dozen thieves ran into Kim Hung Jewelry after ramming a car through the front window of the store.

It was all caught on video. His niece was heartbroken watching it back.

"My heart was pounding, mad, angry, worried," she said, describing her feelings as she watched it back.

The owner's niece didn't want to give her name out of concern for her safety. 

The robbery happened just after 2 p.m. on Friday. Her uncle wasn't feeling well and was packing up early for the day when the robbery happened. 

One of the thieves made sure he wouldn't intervene in the crime. 

"They slammed him down to the floor," his niece explained.

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He's 88 years old. He stayed on the ground while the thieves rifled through the jewelry cases, and then they quickly ran away.  

His niece was at the store minutes after the incident.

She says her uncle was bleeding but seemed OK other than cuts and bruises. Then, while they were working with the police to file the report, she became more concerned about his well-being. 

"He started talking to me, just one sentence, 'We ready to go home?' 'We ready to go home?" she said. 

She said he kept asking the same question. 

"When I asked him something, he looked at me, but it was not looking. He was kind of confused," she said.

She said he couldn't answer any questions, so they called an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

Doctors confirmed he had a stroke.

"You are very lucky," she said, explaining what the doctors told their family. "They said that you brought him to the hospital on time. Otherwise, it will be bad. It will be bad."

He was released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

Sunday afternoon, about a dozen community activists were outside of King Hung Jewlery calling for change, including the founder of the Coalition for Community Engagement, Edward Escobar.

"Small businesses cannot withstand these types of attacks," Escobar stated. 

Escobar believes crimes against small businesses are all too common and many are never documented.

"What we're experiencing also is a lack of reporting of crime by business owners, especially small business owners," Escobar said. "Why? Because their business insurance may be canceled."

The crimes are costly. The family is expecting the damage to Kim Hung Jewlery to cost the business more than $50,000.

Most of the jewelry was already in the safe, but the front of the building was destroyed and is now boarded up.

The owner has been in business for more than 40 years, but his niece thinks this may be the end of the road for him.

"I don't think he's coming back," she said. "Absolutely not."

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