<p>A “smash and grab” robber who invaded a high-end sneaker store in Santa Clara multiple times late last year faces prison if convicted of charges filed last week by Santa Clara District Attorney.</p>
<p>Gregory Jefferson, 19, was arrested in his Pittsburgh home in January. Inside the home, Santa Clara police found 30 boxes of luxury sneakers, clothing, and hangers with the store’s name on it. They also seized a “ghost gun” assault weapon with a 30-round magazine loaded with ammunition.</p>
<p>The defendant, who is in custody on a $500,000 bail, was arraigned on organized retail theft, commercial burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property, and assault weapon felony charges.</p>
<p>“During the holiday season, there was a lot of attention on organized store invasions throughout the Bay Area,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Now, I hope there will be attention on the determined and ongoing efforts of law enforcement to stop, arrest, and prosecute them. In this case, a Santa Clara detective and our Crime Strategies Unit worked as a team to take a dangerous criminal off the streets.”</p>
<p>Soon after 1:00 a.m. on November 23, 2021, a group of about 18 people forced their way into The Fix Kicks store in the Santa Clara Town Center. A 9mm firearm was used to break into the business. The group stole approximately $80,000 worth of merchandise. Just five days later, right before 11:30 p.m., 28 people broke into the same store. This time using a saw to get through a metal security gate. About $112,000 worth of merchandise was stolen.</p>
<p>Santa Clara Police Detective Adam Wilson conducted an investigation and was able to identify that Jefferson was an active participant in both robberies.</p>
<p>Because of the repeated robberies and significant losses, The Fix Kicks was forced to change its business model. Since November, the store has closed the retail location and is only conducting online sales.</p>

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