A female worker at a Southern California jewelry store gave an armed robber all he could handle last week amid a scary altercation caught on surveillance video.
Police in Montclair — which is in San Bernardino County and about 35 miles east of Los Angeles — said the suspect entered Fast-Fix Jewelry and Watch Repairs around 7:45 p.m. Thursday holding a small bag, which he he put down before walking back out of the door, KCBS-TV reported.
‘I don’t want to have that kind of feeling where every customer comes in wearing a hoodie and … sunglasses, and I have to now tell them, ”Get your sunglasses off, get your hoodie off, get your cap off.”’
The suspect then “looked around outside the business” before going back inside the store and walking to the rear of a glass jewelry display case, where the female employee was standing, the station said.
KCBS said the suspect then allegedly pulled a handgun from his jacket and began demanding that the woman open the jewelry case.
“The suspect raised the gun toward the employee multiple times and used a flashlight in his other hand to push the employee,” police said, according to the station.
The employee — who wished to be identified only as Alin — told KCBS she was scared but also enraged, so she fought back.
“He said, ‘Don’t scream … just open the case,'” Alin recalled to the station, adding that she pushed him and told him to leave.
“The suspect shattered the glass case with the gun and attempted to grab items from the case, but was pushed out of the business by the employee,” police said, according to KCBS.
Alin added to the station that the crook shocked her lower body with a stun gun amid the fight, and he was able to grab some store items before running off.
While Alin told KCBS that the encounter shook her up, she wasn’t injured.
What’s more, she told the station her work at the jewelry store is more than just a job: “It’s my brother’s store, you know.”
The store owner added to KCBS that the robber stole gold pieces, watches, diamond rings, gold chains, and bracelets — adding up to a loss in the thousands of dollars.
“When you have a jewelry store, you feel like you are targeted in these kind of places, to be honest,” the store owner, who wished to remain anonymous, noted to the station. “Especially with gold prices soaring so high …”
The store owner added to KCBS that the incident marks the second time his place of business has been hit by theft, but he’s hopeful that state laws can be changed to protect store employees and customers.
“I don’t want to have that kind of feeling where every customer comes in wearing a hoodie and … sunglasses, and I have to now tell them, ‘Get your sunglasses off, get your hoodie off, get your cap off.’ Is that the way that we should be working?” he told the station.
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Police say that as the suspect ran from the store, another person hit him with a chair to try and slow him down, but the suspect was able to continue running and was last seen heading west through the mall.
A gun recovered at the scene was found to be an unloaded and inoperable BB gun, according to police.
Police are asking those with more information about the incident to contact them at 909-621-4771, the station said.
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Jewelry store, Robbery, Armed robbery, Stun gun, California, Montclair, Fighting back, Defending property, Police, Police investigation, Crime
