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79-year-old New York jewelry store owner is beaten and pistol-whipped during a $500,000 heist in broad daylight
- Disguised as Amazon delivery men, the pair ambushed and attacked the owner.
- The 79-year-old owner of Diamond Collect suffered head injuries.
Police have released surveillance footage of a New York City jewelry store after its elderly owner was beaten and pistol-whipped during a $500,000 daylight robbery.
Two unidentified men entered the Queens jewelry store at 2:30 p.m., before hitting the store owner over the head with a gun and making off with $500,000 in stolen goods.
The 79-year-old owner of Diamond Collect, who was looking after the business at the time, suffered head injuries after a robbery at the 39th Avenue store on Wednesday, February 22.
The video shows one of the thieves, who is caught wearing a blue Amazon delivery jacket, luring the vulnerable woman into opening the front door.
The impostor delivery man waited a short distance from the store before ambushing the woman, named Yuchi Lin, who went to open the door to take the package.
Two unidentified men entered the Queens jewelry store at 2:30 p.m., before hitting the store owner over the head with a gun and fleeing with $500,000 in stolen goods.
The pair of robbers were last seen running north on Prince Street, authorities said, as police urge anyone with information to come forward.
He proceeded to run towards the woman and pushed her inside, before entering the establishment along with his accomplice.
Eva Cheng, the victim’s daughter, said NBC New York: ‘My mom didn’t open the door because, for security reasons, we usually ask the delivery man to drop us off at the front door. My mom thought the guy left.’
He added that someone had called the store ahead of time to confirm delivery minutes before the thieves arrived.
Police say the two thieves smashed display cases in the store before hiding their merchandise in a brown Amazon box.
The second robber, dressed in a black hoodie and face mask, also appears on video carrying a brightly colored bag.
Footage released by the NYPD shows the two men drawing weapons as they looted the luxury store.
According to Eva, the thieves took her mother to the office and ‘forced’ her to open the valuable safe, despite the woman insisting that she did not have access to the key.
The evil pair of thieves were last seen running north on Prince Street, authorities claimed.
Footage released by the NYPD shows the two men drawing weapons during the daylight heist.
The two thieves broke display cases in the store before hiding their merchandise.
The video shows one of the thieves wearing a blue Amazon delivery jacket as part of his disguise.
Although police believe a total of half a million dollars worth of items were stolen, Eva said it could be double.
She said: ‘I would say over a million dollars.
‘I sell diamonds, colored diamonds, more like diamond-type precious investments.’
After a decade of running its business out of the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, the city’s largest Chinatown, the jewelry store is leaving its site to move to a new location.
Eva explained that they no longer feel safe in the establishment and that they will not allow it to happen again.
Although frightened by the ordeal, the store owner is now recovering from the assault.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.