At 3:14 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 21, a car pulled up to the entrance of a business in Downtown Los Angeles. Two masked men quickly jumped out, shoved a man standing at the entrance, struck him on the head with a pistol several times and ripped a Rolex watch from his wrist.
The entire robbery lasted just 30 seconds.
The victim, Ronen Vered, 58, an Israeli who has lived in Los Angeles for the past 20 years, suffered cuts to his head and was rushed to the hospital, where he received stitches for a deep laceration on his forehead. The Rolex he was wearing is worth $50,000.
The suspects fled the scene and have not yet been apprehended. Vered believes they may have been following him and knew he was wearing an expensive watch.
The 91传媒 Journal spoke with his brother, David Vered, owner of YMI Jeans, a fashion brand he founded in Downtown L.A. 26 years ago. Vered said crime in Los Angeles has worsened in recent years, forcing many businesses in the area to close after repeatedly being targeted by robbers. Some thieves don鈥檛 even wait until businesses close for the night, striking while stores are still open.
鈥淭he main problem in LA is the lack of law and order,鈥� David Vered said. 鈥淭he police have failed since the George Floyd protests. It has been weakened by the City and the California government, and criminals are having a field day. The whole thing happened in broad daylight; they have no fear. There were customers and employees in the store at the time, but that didn鈥檛 stop them.鈥�
After learning about the attack, David Vered jumped into his car and drove to the hospital to see his brother. On the way, near Santa Fe Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, he encountered another frightening incident: a driver in a car alongside him began yelling at him.
鈥淗e said, 鈥楶ull to the side. I鈥檓 going to f**k you up,鈥欌�� Vered recalled. 鈥淚 said, 鈥業 have no idea what I did to you, but I鈥檓 sorry.鈥� He said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 care. Pull to the side.鈥欌��
The driver then pursued him for about 15 minutes, Vered said, forcing him to run red lights and make sudden turns as he tried to get away.
鈥淚t was crazy,鈥� he said.
Vered called 911 and remained on the phone with dispatchers as they attempted to locate him and the driver chasing him. He said he has a concealed-carry permit but did not have his firearm with him that day.
Vered isn鈥檛 the only business owner who has chosen to purchase a firearm for self-defense. As crime has worsened in LA and law enforcement faces budget cuts and staffing shortages, some business owners feel they must take their safety into their own hands.
LAPD Capt. Rodolfo Lopez, commanding officer of the Topanga Community Police Station, told The Journal that he does not generally encourage residents to buy guns to protect their property. A firearm, he warned, could fall into the wrong hands and ultimately be used against innocent people or police officers.
鈥淏uying a gun requires serious thought,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淵ou have to ask yourself whether you鈥檙e prepared to practice with it, whether you鈥檙e physically capable of using it and whether you鈥檙e mentally prepared to take someone鈥檚 life. A gun should never be used to protect property. Its purpose should be only to protect yourself from serious injury or death.鈥�
Nevertheless, several business owners interviewed by The Journal for this article said they had purchased firearms to protect their businesses and homes. Among them are Orthodox and secular Jews who bought their first firearms following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
鈥淚 feel more secure having my pistol with me, even though I know I鈥檒l be reluctant to use it,鈥� said David, who asked to be identified by his first name only. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to become a victim. Several of my friends鈥� stores have been broken into, and they regret not having a weapon with them. It might have deterred the thieves.鈥�
David also believes that 91传媒 business owners may be particularly vulnerable in the current climate, amid rising hostility toward Israel and Jews. While businesses of all backgrounds are targeted by criminals, he worries that anti-Israel sentiment may also motivate some people to target 91传媒-owned businesses.
Even when stores or shopping centers employ armed security guards, they are generally not expected to physically confront groups of thieves. Los Angeles has seen smash-and-grab robberies at shopping centers across the city, including Westfield Century City, Northridge Fashion Center and Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills. In these incidents, groups of thieves have stormed into stores, grabbed merchandise and fled, often without being stopped by security.
Los Angelenos have grown frustrated watching videos of masked groups of thieves storming stores at shopping centers, grabbing merchandise and fleeing while security guards do not intervene. The incidents have included Macy鈥檚 at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks, where thieves struck again in March 2026, using sledgehammers to smash display cases and steal watches and jewelry. Similar robberies have occurred at Macy鈥檚 at Northridge Fashion Center and at Westfield Century City. In August 2023, a group of about 30 to 40 people also stormed the Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana at Brand in Glendale, making off with an estimated $300,000 in merchandise.
Lopez confirmed that security personnel are instructed not to intervene physically in such situations. Confronting a group of armed robbers could trigger an exchange of gunfire, putting guards, employees and customers at risk. The consequences could be far more serious than the theft itself, including injuries or loss of life. Such confrontations could also expose businesses to significant legal liability.
Videos of these shocking robberies continue to circulate on social media, but Capt. Lopez said some of the footage is years old, leading viewers to believe the crimes are still happening. He noted that many of the crews responsible have been arrested and are behind bars. Such robberies targeting malls have declined considerably in the West Valley, he said, but thefts targeting smaller businesses are unfortunately on the rise.
He credited District Attorney Nathan Hochman with taking a tougher approach to prosecuting these crimes.
鈥淗ochman has shown more interest in holding these criminals accountable than we鈥檝e seen in previous years,鈥� Lopez said. While thefts involving less serious misdemeanors have risen slightly this year, Lopez said the DA鈥檚 office is addressing the problem.
For small-business owners, repeated break-ins can be particularly devastating. Unlike major retail chains, independent shops often operate on narrow margins, leaving little room to absorb the cost of stolen merchandise, broken windows, repairs and increased security. Some owners find themselves facing repeated losses until staying open is no longer financially viable.
In North Hollywood, the owner of Cara Vana coffee shop said his business had been burglarized three times, with two incidents occurring within a month. The thieves took only small amounts of cash, but the damage to the entrance meant another repair bill.
In Woodland Hills, burglars entered Nafiseh Jewelry through the roof and stole merchandise valued by the owners at nearly $100,000. The family said the store had been targeted before and that the repeated incidents were taking a toll.
In Sherman Oaks, Toy Mandala was burglarized twice in one week, with thieves smashing display cases to steal valuable Pok茅mon cards before returning to take a safe. At Neda Jewelry, burglars broke into a neighboring business and tore through a connecting bathroom wall to reach the store.
In the Fairfax district, a burglar smashed a window at The Urban Pet, entered the store and made his way to a safe. The owner said it was the shop鈥檚 third break-in over the years.
For owners already struggling to attract customers and cover operating expenses, each new incident brings not only another bill but also the question of whether it is worth continuing to operate.
But few areas have been hit as hard as Downtown Los Angeles, which has been experiencing a significant business exodus. Nearly 1,000 businesses, including offices, left downtown in 2024, according to a May 2026 Los Angeles Times report. While remote work, rising costs, vacant storefronts and declining foot traffic have all contributed to the downturn, business owners also cite crime and public safety as major concerns.
Last year, burglars tunneled through walls from a neighboring building and stole an estimated $10 million in jewelry and gold from Love Jewels/Reina de Oro. The owner of the downtown store, located on Broadway and Fifth Street, said the merchandise was uninsured and represented his family鈥檚 life savings.
Kiyon (who requested we not publish his last name) the son of a 91传媒 jewelry store owner who operated in downtown Los Angeles for more than 20 years, said his father was forced to close his store after repeated break-ins cost him millions of dollars in uninsured jewelry. He said his father is devastated.
After fleeing Iran following the revolution, his father left behind a jewelry store there, unable to sell it. Decades later, he found himself losing his business in Los Angeles as well.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 blame the police. There鈥檚 only so much they can do with limited resources. But I do blame the mayor for cutting the police budget, as if their services weren鈥檛 important enough,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t feels like nobody cares about the struggles of small-business owners. Nowhere else in the United States do we have laws as ridiculous as California鈥檚, where someone can steal up to $950 and have it treated as a misdemeanor. It鈥檚 absurd.鈥�
Kiyon also blamed former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc贸n for what he described as a lack of consequences for repeat offenders, saying criminals knew they would receive little more than a slap on the wrist. He said many other store owners had also left downtown, while some who remain have switched to seeing customers by appointment only.
鈥淚f things don鈥檛 change and we don鈥檛 see stronger police enforcement, I believe that in a few years, many of the streets in downtown will be occupied mainly by homeless people,鈥� he said.
Home burglaries are another major concern for Los Angeles residents, many of whom worry that their homes could be targeted while they are away. Capt. Lopez said some burglary crews spend several days casing neighborhoods, watching residents鈥� routines and waiting for homeowners to leave.
鈥淭hese are organized crews of three or four people,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l sit in a car and watch what鈥檚 going on, see who鈥檚 coming and going and wait for the owners to leave. They want an empty house.鈥�
Once they decide to strike, the burglars move quickly, often smashing a rear window and spending less than five minutes inside. They typically head for the main bedroom, looking for cash, jewelry, designer handbags and high-end shoes, Lopez said.
In response, the LAPD has begun using drones to help officers respond to burglaries. The Topanga Community Police Station has six drones. When a neighbor or alarm system reports suspicious activity promptly, officers can get a drone in the air within a minute or two, Lopez said. If it spots suspects fleeing in a vehicle, police may track them with the drone, pursue them and, when necessary, bring in a helicopter. The goal is to catch the suspects before they get away.
The concern hit close to home for me last week. At around 4:30 p.m., two young men who identified themselves as Verizon sales representatives rang my doorbell. I answered through my Ring camera and told them I wasn鈥檛 interested. They reluctantly left, but about two hours later, just after I had left听 the house, they returned and rang the bell again.
We rushed back home and saw that our next-door neighbor had also returned, worried that the men might have been waiting for an opportunity to break in.
Lopez urged residents to look out for one another and pay attention to unfamiliar people that seem to be casing the area and not to answer the door to solicitors.听
The following day, a neighbor suggested on the Nextdoor neighborhood social network that residents organize a neighborhood watch. The idea was met with enthusiasm, though it remains to be seen whether residents will be willing to patrol the streets late at night after a long workday. In some neighborhoods, homeowners have opted to hire private security patrols to keep watch over their homes.
With the Nov. 3 mayoral election approaching, public safety has become a central issue in the race. Mayor Karen Bass is promising to expand the LAPD and hire more officers, while challenger Nithya Raman is proposing changes to police response and oversight. But for business owners who have suffered repeated break-ins and residents who worry about leaving their homes unattended, the real test will come after the election, when the winner must turn campaign promises into action and demonstrate that keeping Angelenos safe is a priority.
