Police investigate after attempted group robbery at Oakridge Mall

SAN JOSE >> A group of people attempted to rob Macy’s at Oakridge Mall on Dec. 18, assaulting a female employee before fleeing the store.

The group was confronted by store security around 6 p.m., and one of the security guards was knocked to the ground and kicked in the face while trying to detain one of the suspected robbers, according to a San Jose Police Department statement.

Police said the group involved six to eight males, and the security guards initially reported a group of up to 15 men and women.

The robbers escaped before anyone could be arrested, police said.

In the process, a woman was arrested after police said she interfered with a responding officer.

The woman got within “a very close distance” of an officer who was trying to handcuff one of the suspected robbers, according to a San Jose police news release. The woman was arrested when police said she did not back away after being ordered to do so, adding that she resisted arrest by swinging her arm at the officer. Police said it is not known whether she has any connection to the robbery group.

The robbery suspect escaped during the altercation with the woman, police said.

Yet Anna Hamed, daughter of the woman arrested, took issue with the way San Jose police treated her mother.

In an interview with NBC Bay Area, Hamed said her mother was about to go shopping when she grew concerned with the welfare of someone being apprehended at the store. When Hamed’s mother told an officer that what he was doing was wrong, the police officer appeared to grow “upset.” That’s when Hamed said the officer got “excessively close” to her mother, grabbed her arm and proceeded to “slam” her to the ground.

Bay Area retailers have been hit by a rash of mob attacks, sometimes in groups numbering close to 100 perpetrators. High-profile criminal raids have struck San Jose, Walnut Creek, Oakland and San Francisco, among other cities. Police believe the crimes are orchestrated on social media, with groups striking quickly with smashand-grab tactics and tools.

Oakridge Mall retailers met with San Jose police before Black Friday, looking for better ways to protect shoppers and stores.

Retailers have added extra security, cut hours and, in some cases, closed their doors. Gov. Gavin Newsom last month ordered additional patrols by California Highway Patrol around retailers during the holiday season.