Daughter of victim of latest Danville Rolex robbery speaks out

DANVILLE, Calif. - The daughter of the latest Rolex robbery in Danville said Monday that she is concerned about the recent spree of similar incidents in the Tri-Valley area.

"This has been happening every month here for the past six months," she said. "This is not the first incident, but we need to get to the bottom of why it keeps happening."

The latest robbery happened in the parking lot of the Livery shopping center at Sycamore Valley Road and San Ramon Valley Boulevard about 2:45 p.m. Saturday.

A witness told KTVU about what she experienced.

"The car was right here, and I believe he was getting into the passenger - the driver’s side," Sherry Allen, designer at East Bay Flower Company said, pointing to the spot where the man was held up moments after leaving her shop.

She said a noise which she later realized was a gunshot.

"I just heard a pop," Allen said. "So I came out to – because the gentleman had just been in the store – I came out to see if he was OK, and he said they just ripped his watch off his arm."

KTVU has learned that several men armed with pistols with extended magazines robbed the owner of a Danville restaurant, and his business partner was pistol-whipped while trying to intervene. One of the robbers fired a shot, but no one was hit.

The daughter of one of the victims told KTVU, "Nothing is being done to protect the people of Danville."

 She said she's thankful no one was hurt or killed in the latest Rolex robbery in the Tri-Valley area.

Last month, a man was followed home in walnut creek, beaten and robbed of his watch.

Also in July, three suspects were arrested after they robbed a victim of his Rolex outside the Danville Trader Joe's store and led police on a chase to Antioch.

In June, four women in a Bentley were followed to a home in Danville, where they were robbed of watches and jewelry. One victim's fiancée exchanged gunfire with the robbers.

"Danville’s usually a safe place, and we feel protected. This is a nice shopping center, so to hear something like that, hitting kind of close to home, it’s kind of unnerving," Allen said.

These robberies have raised questions as to whether Rolex owners should wear them in public.  Shoppers at the Livery had mixed reaction.

"I think they should be able to wear what they want, with the idea that if I have it, I wear it, otherwise it doesn’t do me any good in the jewelry box," said Shelly Gust of Lafayette.

Sameena Hamid of Danville said, "Personally, I don’t have a Rolex, but if I did, I don’t know if I would be wearing it under these conditions."