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Florida thieves with hammers were caught stealing over $100K in high-end jewelry in brazen smash-and-grab at mall
- Police are seeking four suspects involved in a smash-and-grab at a Florida jewelry store on August 2
- Three masked suspects in black hoodies entered the Citrus Park Town Center mall at the employee entrance on Tuesday
- The thieves were caught carrying hammers when they approached the high-end jewelry store, Diamond Galleria
- The suspects grabbed more than $100,000 in merchandise before fleeing in an escape car with the fourth suspect
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Three thieves with hammers were caught on camera stealing more than $100,000 worth of high-end jewelry at a Florida mall on August 2.
The masked suspects in black hoodies arrived with hammers at the Diamond Galleria located at the Citrus Park Town Center after 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Surveillance footage captured the scene unfold as the robbers broke display cases filled with high-end watches at the front of the store as a bystander appears to be walking throughout the store.
Three masked thieves with hammers were caught stealing from the Diamond Galleria located at the Citrus Park Town Center after 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday
The thieves were caught breaking the glass of a display of high-end watches at the front of the store as a bystander appeared to be walking through the store
After the thieves grabbed what they could from the front display, they quickly ran inside and targeted another display. More than $100,000 was stolen in high-end merchandise
The suspects are seen in the video running inside the store to break more displays before rushing out the employee entrance they entered through earlier and hoping into a 2022-22 silver Nissan Murano, according to police.
Police are also seeking the driver of the vehicle, the fourth suspect in the investigation. No arrests have been made.
‘These suspects are seen on camera and video, so it’s only a matter of time before they are caught for the crimes they committed today,’ Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
No injuries in the smash-and-grab were reported.
The Diamond Galleria was not immediately available for comment.
Police are seeking a fourth suspect driving a 2022-22 silver Nissan Murano. The suspect was waiting for the three thieves outside the employee entrance of the mall. The four took off in an unknown direction
The August 2 incident mocked a similar smash-and-grab incident in California reported in January after horrific footage showed a group of thugs with hammers stealing more than $100,000 in jewelry from a mall.
Nine thieves with masks and hoodies grabbed gold necklaces and other valuables from the Heart of Gold jewelry store in San Jose.
Amid the robbery, Eric Orozco, the store owner, insisted the state needed to implement stricter punishments for state criminals.
Pictured: A group of men use sledgehammers to try to smash open a display case containing jewelry during a January 3 mall heist in San Jose, California
Then, in early July, a trio robbed a Zales jewelry store at Queens Center mall in New York City.
Two men and one woman, believed to be in their mid-20’s, were seen walking into the store just before 7pm.
The men managed to snag around $111,175 worth of jewelry, police said.
After taking the jewels, the trio fled from the mall in an unknown direction.
The three suspects in the Zales Jewelry store heist are seen entering the mall, both men wearing white caps and the woman in a white shirt and jeans
The series of smash-and-grabs have been making headlines in the last few years, resulting in the US Chamber of Commerce in March insisting that lawmakers take action to address the criminal activity.
The business organization wrote a letter to Congress urging them to ‘pass legislation to stop the sale of stolen goods on online marketplaces.’
The letter cited a survey of small businesses that claims 54% of owners experienced an uptick in shoplifting in 2021. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation found that large retailers are suffering from an average of more than $700,000 per $1 billion in sales in 2020 – an increase of more than 50 percent from the past five years.
‘Some retailers have been forced to shutter locations in response to rampant theft,’ the letter says while citing that 25% of small businesses report increasing their prices to combat shoplifting.
Aside from urging lawmakers to halt the online sale of stolen goods, business owners also sought an update to the ‘definition of organized retail crime and increase criminal penalties.’