Pair Wanted in Smash-and-Grab Robbery Rampage

Charlotte, N.C.--The Jewelers Security Alliance issued a warning Wednesday about a pair of men wanted in a total of nine jewelry store crimes in four states, the latest happening last week in North Carolina.

According to the JSA, the suspects entered a jewelry store in Charlotte at about 6 p.m. on June 14 and asked about “Cuban link” chains and men’s jewelry. One of the suspects also asked about seeing a high-end watch but was told he had to view it in a private room, and an appointment was made to do so.

After talking with store employees a bit more, the JSA said that one of the men pulled out a mallet, smashed a watch case and stole a number of high-end timepieces.

A security camera still of the two men authorities say have committed robberies at six stores and grab-and-run jewelry thefts at three more.These two suspects were mentioned in a previous crime alert circulated by the JSA on May 24, and are believed to be involved in a total of nine cases of jewelry theft or robbery.

They allegedly have carried out three grab-and-run jewelry thefts: in North Charleston, North Carolina on April 17; Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina on May 2; and in Pooler, Georgia on June 10.

The JSA said they are also wanted in six smash-and-grab robberies, five of which occurred in the month of May: in Mt Pleasant on May 10; Locust Grove, Georgia on May 17; Mt. Pleasant again and Beaufort, South Carolina on May 19; Orlando on May 25; and the Charlotte smash-and-grab on June 14.

In addition, the suspects are said to have cased a store in Macon, Georgia on May 17.

Smash-and-grab robberies were one of the categories that posted a significant year-over-year increase in the JSA’s latest annual report on jewelry industry crime.

Incidences where suspects took a hammer or other object and smashed display cases in order to remove merchandise rose 15 percent between 2016 and 2017, from 62 to 71. More than half of those 71 incidences occurred in mall jewelry stores, the JSA said.

The increase included the wave of smash-and-grab robberies that started in the Midwest in the fall and had spread to the Northwest by the end of the year. (The two men wanted in the six smash-and-grabs described above are not connected to this earlier grouping of smash-and-grabs, JSA