In the last two months, two men are believed to have committed nine robberies at jewelry stores throughout the southeastern United States, according to the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA).
Since May, the pair is suspected of pulling off three grab-and-run thefts, and six smash-and-grabs. They are also suspected of committing a robbery in June 2017.
Grab-and-runs involve trying on a piece of jewelry and then fleeing out the door with it; smash-and-grabs involve shattering a jewelry case, generally with a hammer, and then snatching product.
“It’s somewhat unusual that they appear to do both grab-and-runs and smash-and-grabs,” says JSA president John Kennedy. “Usually people do one type of crime or the other.”
Kennedy says the two suspects are believed to be dangerous and “have taken a large amount of product over the course of those nine crimes.”
In the most recent event, which occurred in a store near Charlotte, N.C., on June 14, the two suspects entered a jeweler and asked about Cuban link chains and men’s jewelry. One of the men asked to see a high-end watch. After he was told he could see it in the private sales room only, he made an appointment. He then allegedly pulled out a mallet and smashed a watch case, stealing several high-end timepieces.
The suspects are believed to have carried out grab-and-runs at jewelers in North Charleston, N.C., on April 17; Mt. Pleasant, S.C. on May 2; and Pooler, Ga., on June 10. They also reportedly carried out six smash-and-grabs at Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on May 10; Locust Grove, Ga., on May 17; Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on May 19; Beaufort, S.C., on May 19; Orlando, Fla., on May 25; and the Charlotte case on June 14. It is also believed that the two cased a store in Macon, Ga., on May 17.
If you have any information about these suspects, please call your local police or the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at 800-537-0067.
JCK provided these 50 tips to keep your store safe from robberies.
(Surveillance image courtesy of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance)
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