A weekly roundup of jewelry store crimes with related tips from JCK:

– An Israeli jewelry salesman was robbed of $2 million worth of uninsured diamonds in North Hollywood, Calif.

After visiting a friend’s house, the salesman was rear-ended and boxed in by two different vehicles, and then beaten and robbed by five to six suspects. The attackers smashed the passenger side window, grabbed the bag of diamonds, and fled in their cars. The salesman suffered minor injuries. Later on, police found one of the suspects’ vehicles crashed and abandoned.  

The robbers were described as men wearing dark clothing. Police suspect that the men knew what the salesman was carrying and his whereabouts at the time of the assault. An investigation to uncover more evidence is underway.    

– On Aug. 24, two armed men robbed a Denver, Colo., jewelry store wearing clown makeup.

According to police, the two black suspects had their faces painted white and their lips black as they robbed the store. The owner said they were in the store for 10–15 minutes before fleeing. No one was hurt during the robbery.

Roughly half of the jewelry merchandise the robbers made off with was fake. The store owner started to display fake samples in his cases to prevent potential losses from a robbery because of the raising costs of diamonds and gold. The owner is in the process of determining the value of the genuine items that were taken.

    

– Police in Radnor, Pa., are searching for a suspect and a person of interest in an armed attempted robbery of a local jewelry store Aug. 19.

The suspect, a 5’10” Hispanic male in his 30s, weighing 170-190 pounds, entered Amirian Jewelry late in the afternoon and used pepper spray on the owners after they refused to give up any jewelry. After a struggle with the owners, he fled. A witness chased after him, but stopped after the suspect pulled a gun. 

Another witness told police that a man came into the store before the attempted robbery and asked about several expensive items of jewelry. Police think the man, who is in his mid-30s, 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, with a light complexion and reddish-blond hair, might be an accomplice of the robber.

The store owners suffered minor injuries. There was no word if any jewelry or merchandise was missing from the store. 

The Jewelers’ Security Alliance Manual suggests jewelers obey the orders of robbers. Do not say or do anything, or even raise your hands, unless told to do so. “Cooperate fully and try not to panic,” according to the manual. It also recommends that jewelers memorize all the locations touched by the robbers so that jewelers can advise the police about possible fingerprint evidence when they arrive.

– A trio of armed men made off with $1 million in cash and merchandise after threatening the employees and customers of a Hollywood, Fla., jewelry store.

The men, reportedly all in their 20s, ambushed Koosh Jewelers, pulled out their weapons, and forced the employees to empty the store’s safes. Witnesses said one of the suspects pointed his gun at a child in a stroller and promised to shoot the child if the robbers’ demands weren’t met. After robbing the store, the suspects fled in a black newer model SUV.

In another Hollywood, Fla., jewelry store robbery, a thief was shot in the leg by one of the store’s employees.

The male suspect entered Renee’s Golden Touch Jewelers, smashed a display window with a brick, and grabbed a handful of jewelry. According to police, the store’s employee fired a few rounds, one of which took down the masked man just outside the store’s entrance.

The robber’s wounds were not life threatening and no one else in the store was injured. Police charged the suspect with one count of grand larceny.

The Manual of Jewelry Security says jewelers need insurance, not guns, to protect themselves. “Do not keep a gun in your store or in any other business location.” The manual also recommends that jewelers rehearse with all employees what they should do in a robbery.

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