Hammer-Wielding Thieves Hit Jewelry Store 'Mob-Style'

Shoppers at a Texas outlet mall watched a hammer-wielding crew storm a jewelry store in what one security expert is calling a "mob-style" robbery. Round Rock police say multiple masked, gloved suspects rushed into Marc Robinson Jewelers at the Round Rock Premium Outlets near Austin at 12:47pm Tuesday, shattered glass cases, and grabbed jewelry before using pepper spray on an employee and a bystander, reports Fox 7. The group fled with what police described as a large haul and took off in a blue Hyundai Sonata later found at a nearby apartment complex; investigators say the car had been reported stolen in the Humble, Texas, area.

"I'm sure they had scouted before. They already knew exactly which cases to go hit. They took in a lot of merchandise," store owner Sherazad "Sunny" Lokhandwala tells KVUE. "We are the only store in Austin, Texas, that carries up to about 110 preowned Rolexes in stock. I would say about 50 or 60 of them were gone." Security expert Timothy Zehring told FOX 7 the heist fits a pattern of fast, multi-suspect "mob-style" attacks on jewelry stores, which he says have become more profitable as gold prices climb. He argued such crimes are avoidable with tougher physical security, including bollards and shatter-resistant glass film. No arrests have been announced. Round Rock police are asking anyone with information to call (512) 218-6619.