On Aug. 16, a jewelry courier in Mission Viejo, Calif., was stabbed and robbed in the parking lot of a local jewelry store.

According to Roland Chacon, a spokesperson for the Mission Viejo Police Department, two male suspects approached the victim, who was leaving Saachi Jewelry.

“The suspects smashed the windows and slashed the tires of the victim’s car,” said Chacon. “The victim suffered a stab wound to the hand which appears to be defensive.”

The robbers then made off with the victim’s Rolex watch, along with a bag that contained jewelry, cash, and rare coins valued at more than $50,000.

According to Chacon, one of the male suspects is white and the other is African-American. According to a local news report, the robbers could have been following the courier before the incident.

Chacon said that the investigation for the suspects is underway, but offered no further details.

Jewelers Security Alliance president John Kennedy tells JCK that couriers and salespersons should park as close as possible to the store they are visiting, survey the scene carefully before entering and leaving the store, and, if possible, have store personnel accompany or at least keep an eye on them until they get to their vehicle and depart. It is also safer to keep jewelry merchandise in the trunk of a vehicle rather than on a seat, which can lead to a more violent confrontation.

“Do not resist armed robbers who will not hesitate to shoot, stab, or kill you,” Kennedy says.

He also advised couriers to use evasive driving techniques—such as driving around the block slowly to see if you are being followed, making abrupt left turns and U-turns, or pulling into a fast food outlet—before and after every visit to a jewelry location and before returning to your home, hotel, office, or airport. 

JCK