On Nov. 7, three suspects robbed Atlanta fine jewelry store Elif Fine Jewelry by gunpoint.

According to regional news website Atlanta INtown, the suspects wore masks and gloves and entered the shop at 10:50 a.m. with guns in hand. They forced the store’s two employees to lie on the floor while they smashed display cases with a hammer, bagging what’s been estimated to be around $5 million in merchandise—including engagement rings and watches. 

Additional reports say that the robbers appeared to have figured a way to bypass the store’s magnetic doors; the third robber was allegedly buzzed in by one of the first two. Michael Briant of security consulting firm Skydas Group International says he sees three possible scenarios for how this might have happened: “inadvertent opening by one of the employees; the door malfunctioned at the most inopportune time; or an insider” assisted in the robbery. (Briant and Skydas are unaffiliated with Elif Fine Jewelry.)  

Briant warns retailers using the clicker-style door magnet, to “ensure that you have each one [of the clickers] accounted for.”  

If you have any information about this robbery, please contact Crime Stoppers at crimestoppersatlanta.org.

JCK