Robbers Pepper-Spray Customers, Employees At Lafayette Store: Police

LAFAYETTE, CA— The Lafayette Police Department is investigating a smash-and-grab robbery that occurred over the weekend.

Officers were dispatched at 1:39 Saturday to a report that a robbery had just taken place at a store in the 1000 block of Oak Hill Road that involved several suspects armed with sledgehammers who pepper-sprayed customers and employees.

The suspects then used a hammer to smash the glass of a display case and fled the business with stolen merchandise, police said.

Police searched for the robbers and notified other law enforcement agencies about the smash-and-grab but the suspects were not located.

Robbers used the same tactics during a smash-and-grab March 1 at an Orinda consignment store, police in that city said.

A news report indicated Saturday's robbery in Lafayette was also at a consignment store. The suspects were armed with sledgehammers, according to the report.

The two incidents happened about 5 miles apart via state Highway 24.

Police asked anyone with any information about the robbery to call the Lafayette Police Department at 925-283-3680 or send an email to 94549tip@gmail.com.