Police are appealing for witnesses after "opportunistic" thieves snatched jewellery from a pawnbroker's minutes after a bus crashed into the front of the shop.
The driver of the single decker bus was taken to hospital suffering from shock after the vehicle hit a taxi and smashed through the front of the shop in Coventry city centre.
But rather than see whether anyone involved in the incident needed any help, the thieves just helped themselves to items from the store, police said.
No one was seriously injured in the crash.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said two passengers in the taxi were assessed by paramedics after the accident at 2.55pm.
"The male driver of the bus had chest pains and was taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire for further assessment and treatment," a spokesman for the ambulance service said.
Photographs showed the front of the single-decker bus embedded in the shop on Trinity Street, which was cordoned off by police.
Inspector Yvonne Bruton, who was at the scene, said: "We are looking into reports that a number of people stole items of jewellery from the shop, with some apparently forcing onlookers out of the way to get to the items.
"This group of individuals had no regard for the welfare of those caught up in the incident and it appears simply sought to make their own ill-gotten gains.
"An investigation is under way into the theft offences and we will now be reviewing CCTV footage of the incident to identify potential offenders.
"Likewise we will also be speaking to those involved in order to establish the circumstances which led up to the actual collision."
Anyone who witnessed the collision of the theft of items from the shop is urged to contact Coventry Police or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.