Surveillance video from a downtown Boston jewelry store shows the moment vandals busted their way inside after Sunday's protest turned chaotic.
"They smashed everything," said Edward Spencer, owner of Skylight Jewelers. "Every window, every showcase."
The vandals made off with sculptured glass, jewelry and artwork worth thousands of dollars.
What they didn't want ended up ruined.
"It's all trashed," said Spencer, adding that these were not easy windows to break through.
"They've done it before," he said. "We have bomb proof plastic on it so you can't just smash the window and it breaks, you gotta really wail on it."
His is just one of the many businesses hit hard Sunday night in Boston, when peaceful protests ended in chaos with frightening scenes playing out in the city -- standoffs between police and protesters, thrown water bottles, fires and looting.
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And there were smashed-out businesses everywhere, including Cafe Bonjour in Downtown Crossing, high-end stores on Newbury Street like Valentino and Burberry, and small shops like Georgiana's in the South End.
"It's much worse than I expected," said Georgiana's owner Anna Barounis.
The thieves made off with cigarettes and lottery tickets. They even tried to take the ATM. Wine, beer and liquor was stolen, including two bottles worth $2,500 each.
Barounis says she was just getting back on her feet because of the coronavirus pandemic, with this coming as sales were finally picking up.
"I feel like I've been accosted," she said. "I feel like this is my baby, this is my neighborhood. They had no right to do this, to take my livelihood. This is what I have."
