Thieves Steal $35,500 Worth of Jewelry From Biltmore in Santa Barbara
On March 29 at about 3 p.m., three individuals in a silver Hyundai Santa Fe arrive at the Four Seasons Biltmore on 1260 Channel Drive. They case the area. Two men go inside Silverhorn jewelry store inside the hotel and while one subject distracts the clerk, the other breaks into a display case and flee to a getaway car with $35,500 worth of stolen jewelry.
It may sound like a movie but the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance video of the crime hoping the public may be able to help in identifying these thieves. You may watch the complete surveillance video below.
During the crime, the thieves stole five Rolex watches. Authorities say that the first suspect pushed the clerk back into the wall after she noticed the second suspect break into the display case and attempted to stop him.
“The suspects really didn’t anything to conceal their identities. As you can see, one of the suspects actually looks right up at the surveillance video. He’s not wearing a hoodie or any type of a mask,” said Kelly Hoover, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The two suspects ran out of the hotel through the restaurant and to the waiting silver Hyundai on Channel Drive. The driver of the vehicle, an unidentified woman, picked both suspects up and sped away northbound on Olive Mill Road.
Despite an extensive search, authorities were unable to locate the suspects. During the investigation, it was discovered that the silver Hyundai was a rental car out of Van Nuys and abandoned in Ventura. The Sheriff’s Office says the car was rented the day before the crime by an individual using a Puerto Rico driver’s license.
We reached out to the hotel, but its spokesman says he does not want to draw any more attention to the incident.
If you have any information regarding this case you are asked to call the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Divisions at 805-681-4150. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may call 805-681-4171.
