You may have seen a headline or two in recent months about jewelry store robberies. Most of them are smash and grab types where the thieves rush in, break a few glass showcases, scoop some items and run out. But in at least three of the robberies, suspects and store personnel have been injured or killed and in all of the heists, the robbers have been armed with sledgehammers and/or firearms. While many of these recent robberies look similar, and could have been planned by some mastermind hiding out in some remote location, authorities say that the robberies seem to have been committed by random teams and do not appear to be connected to each other. One of the largest capers was in France. A lone jewel thief struck the lavish Carlton International Hotel in the French Riviera resort of Cannes made off with $136 million in diamond-encrusted watches and gems, making it one of the biggest jewel heists in history, French authorities reported on July 29th. Also in July, Barry White, 23, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder after being treated for superficial hand wounds at San Francisco General Hospital, according to a San Francisco Police Department spokesman. White attacked three employees of Victoga Inc., a jewelry store in the Gift Center & Jewelry Mart complex at 888 Brannan St., with a handgun and a knife, police said. Two of the employees, both women, died at the scene; the third employee, a man, is in critical condition at a hospital. Early this month, a jewelry store owner in Hamtramck Michigan shot at three armed robbery suspects, killing one of them. The owner inside Mike's Detroit Jewelry and Pawn Shop on Joseph Compau Street was confronted by the three would-be robbers and pulled his own weapon. Police officers made their way into the store and took two suspects into custody. The third suspect's body was found inside the store. And in Villa Rica Georgia, a robbery at the popular Mobley Jewelry Company left the owner, Mitch Mobley dead. Area police were able to soon capture five suspects including a 16 year old boy. They have charged Raphael Rucker, 23, one of the robbers with murder. An armed security officer at the Oakbrook Center Mall in Oakbrook Illinois thwarted a robbery by sledgehammer carrying thugs when he confronted them as they entered the C.D. Peacock jewelry store at around 3:41 p.m. on a Sunday in June. The security officer shot one man in the abdomen as he advance toward the officer holding a sledgehammer. And just this week in an upscale shopping center in the Carytown section of Richmond Virginia, four robbers struck the Schwarzchild Jewelers in the 3100 block of Cary Street just before 3 p.m. Saturday. Police said the suspects smashed several display cases and stole the contents and then fled on foot in different directions. Two employees suffered minor injuries after being shot with a stun gun device. Jewelry store robberies are about more than theft. Most are about power, speed and violence. Robbers swiftly storm a store armed and masked, smash jewelry cases and threaten employees with bodily harm and death while taking control of everyone and everything. Make no mistake, most mean what they say and should be considered armed and dangerous and not taken lightly. Some may be affiliated with gangs, high on drugs, career criminals and not afraid of the consequences that they face for their criminal deeds. Most robberies are planned out in advance and many are executed with speed and proficiency. Store employees should cooperate and not escalate the situation. Private security officers assigned to malls or individual jewelry stores should remain vigilant and not assume that "it won't happen here". Officers should be prepared to engage, defend and protect when necessary.
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