Isabella Roy is a store manager at Westfield Valley Fair Mall in San Jose. But over the last few months, she's become all too familiar with what it feels like when that mall suddenly turns chaotic.

"Just kind of surrounded ourselves in the back, stayed calm and tried to figure out what was going on," shared Roy.

Back in November on Black Friday night, Roy was working when a shooting inside the mall injured three people. It set off a mass exodus, a police investigation and a lot of fear.

This past Sunday, that same feeling returned this time in broad daylight.

"One of my coworkers had said there is something happening, people are running. And I look and I just see a storm of people running towards this side of the mall," explained Roy.

San Jose police said around 1 p.m. Sunday, three suspects ran into the Macy's department store inside the mall. They smashed a display case and tried to steal merchandise.

The Bay Area News Group reported that the suspects were after Rolex watches and that two shoppers intervened. The newspaper reported that one wrestled a suspect and another grabbed a thief's backpack after they took a swing at a Macy's employee.

Stacie Shih with the department called it a strong arm robbery, one that she says involved some resistance from store security. She wouldn't confirm bystanders getting involved, but did say the robbers ran into some resistance from store security.

"An employee with the department store was involved in the incident. I don't have any information about other shoppers about other shoppers that were involved," said Shih. 

Shih told CBS News Bay Area the investigation is ongoing and would not confirm or release any surveillance video at this time.

What stands out most to her about the incident: how bold it was.

"I think it was really brazen that these suspects chose to go to a busy mall, in the middle of the day, and really just create so much chaos and damage," Shih said.

But for Isabella Roy, this isn't just a brazen crime.

It's a feeling she knows all too well, in a place she believes should feel secure all of the time.

"This is a high traffic, fun place to come with your family and people should feel safe coming here."