$20,000 Stolen in Major Heist on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade at 7:30 pm

June 16, 2022 - Yesterday evening, a specialty store located in the 1300 block of the Third Street Promenade was robbed of nearly $20,000 in gold by a group invading the store.

The robbery occurred at approximately 7:30 pm when it was still light outside.

Property owner John Alle was right outside the store when he saw the robbery. The store owner is a friend of his. Alle says he saw a Safety Ambassador walk directly away from the situation when he realized something was happening.

Recently, Alle has debated Downtown Santa Monica Inc Board Chief Barry Snell about the effectiveness of the Safety Ambassadors.

The Ambassadors are not equipped, trained, or expected to stop criminal activity directly, but they are supposed to call the police.

Both Alle and the store owner called the police, who arrived within minutes.

Alle said the store owner is “afraid for his personal safety” and did not want to talk to the press. As the owner was leaving his store around 2:00 am, he witnessed what appeared to be a major drug deal occurring on the corner of the Promenade and Santa Monica Boulevard. Alle says there is no police patrol coverage of the Promenade between 11:00 pm until 6:00 or 7:00 am.

The same night, city maintenance teams found five trash cans smoldering with destroyed items inside along Santa Monica Boulevard between the Promenade and 4th Street.