Suspects scatter after Milpitas jewelry store owner fires warning gunshots

MILPITAS, Calif. - In the wake of recent violent attacks against victims and would-be victims , some Bay Area business owners are keeping and using firearms to protect themselves. Experts consider such actions part of a cause-and-effect cycle: As violence seems to become more pervasive in American culture, the response by some has become violent.

The owner of Fine Jewelry in Milpitas on Thursday was making repairs to a security door and glass door inside a strip mall in the 1500 block of Landess Avenue. Neighboring business owners say they saw an attempted second smash-and-grab coming a mile away. Surveillance videos showed a group of 10-to-15 suspects using tools to hammer their way through the front door. But the owner fired gunshots from inside the store, out of the store, forcing