Concealed carrier shoots crook bashing display case in Chicago jewelry store. Suspect reportedly released without charges.



A concealed-carrying employee of a Chicago jewelry store shot a hooded male who was caught on video bashing a display case over the weekend. The suspect reportedly was released without charges.

What are the details?

Surveillance video inside the store on Jeweler's Row in the city's Loop area on North Wabash Avenue shows the suspect walking around for about a minute before taking off toward the entrance just before 11 a.m. Saturday, WBBM-TV reported.

The male then began to bash a glass case, after which the employee behind the counter pulled out a gun and opened fire at the suspect before he tried to get away, the station said.

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It appears the employee — who is a FOID card and concealed carry license holder, WBBM said — fired two shots at the male, who quickly fell to the sidewalk just outside the store's entrance.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Video outside the store shows the suspect getting up, beginning to run off, then stopping and turning around and going back into the store's entrance to retrieve what appears to be a a bag of some kind.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

He then runs down the sidewalk before heading up a stairwell to a train platform, WBBM said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Police told the station a man was placed into custody a short time later and taken to a hospital for a gunshot wound, where he reportedly was stabilized.

WBBM, citing store security, said the employee who opened fire was in custody as police continued to investigate.

While the station said charges against the robbery suspect are pending, WLS-TV said the suspect as well as the concealed carrier were released without charges.

How are observers reacting?

Commenters responding to the WBBM video on YouTube were not happy about how authorities handled things in the aftermath:

  • "And there's Chicago's problem," one commenter said. "The employee is in custody for defending his business, and the criminal will be released back into society."
  • "Why is the shooter in custody?" another user asked. "He wouldn't have shot if a POS hadn't tried to rob him. How is he all of a sudden a criminal?"
  • "The employee shouldn't be in custody at all!" another commenter exclaimed. "I swear many of these anti-gun cities are looking for reasons to destroy gun owners."
  • "It's really sad what has happened to this country," another user noted. "The criminals and inmates are running the asylum."

Robber shot by Chicago jewelry store employee youtu.be

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Jewelry store owner has a little surprise for masked smash-and-grab thieves: 'It really p***es me off'



A North Carolina jewelry store owner had a little surprise for masked smash-and-grab thieves who targeted his store in Charlotte last week: a loaded gun he pointed right at them.

What are the details?

The crooks entered Ballantyne Jewelers off Johnston Road just before closing Friday, Queen City News reported.

Security video caught the three thieves backing up their car near the front door, walking into the store armed with sledge hammers, and smashing several glass display cases, the outlet said.

But the store’s owner, Yuhan Tikan, wasn't having it.

Queen City News said Tikan grabbed his handgun, loaded it, and chased the suspects away while pointing the gun at them.

“It really pisses me off; it makes me upset,” Tikan told the outlet. “It quite honestly is a disgrace, and I hope that law enforcement can catch these guys and put them away for a long time.”

Image source: Queen City News video screenshot

The store owner told WSOC-TV the crooks smashed 13 jewelry cases and got well over $100,000 worth of jewelry — and while it’s all insured, he said what was stolen in 30 seconds will take a long time to replace.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600, Queen City News said, adding that there's a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.

What else?

WSOC's story didn't name the jewelry store owner, but the owner did tell the station the suspects knew exactly which cases to hit and had cased the business previously. WSOC added that the owner said the crooks went straight for the most expensive watches.

The owner also told WSOC that the thieves may have kept grabbing more loot had he failed to grab his gun after hearing the sound of shattering glass — and he didn't hesitate: “Without a second thought. I needed to protect my business, my family.”

He added to WSOC that "they are lucky they ran out. I was ready to shoot."

The owner added to WSOC that Ballantyne Jewelers is a family shop and that employees spend more time there than at home. What's more, he added to the station that working family members were the only employees in the store when the crooks struck.

“Hard work for us, easy money for them,” the store owner added to WSOC.

When he grabbed his gun, the store owner told the station he "put the clip in, cocked it, and charged the three guys" and that he was angry at them for "intruding on our family, intruding on our customers, and our personal business."

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Video: Arizona thief thought he pulled off jewelry heist until plucky patrons pin perp to the pavement



An Arizona thief thought he had pulled off a jewelry heist, but a group of vigilant bystanders thwarted the robbery and pinned the robber to the ground until police arrived to arrest the perp.

Around 11:40 a.m. on Friday, a man dressed in a suit walked into the Marina Jewelers store in Scottsdale. The man allegedly snatched a tray of high-dollar jewelry from the jewelry store, and then attempted to flee the crime scene.

However, two plucky patrons thwarted the thief's jewelry heist.

The Scottsdale Police Department identified the suspect as 53-year-old Troy Bell.

"On his way out the door, he encountered two brave men who were entering the jewelers and tried to stop him,” police said Saturday in a press release, according to the Daily Independent. "The three reportedly got into a fight which ultimately resulted in Bell being detained by the two men, and some other helpers."

An onlooker captured video of the heroic bystanders chasing and eventually pinning the alleged robber to the ground. Within minutes, police arrived and arrested the alleged thief.

Bell was arrested and charged with shoplifting, assault, and failure to provide a truthful name.

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Bell reportedly dropped and damaged some of the jewelry. All of the jewelry, which is said to be worth thousands of dollars, was recovered.

One of the brave men who thwarted the robbery, only identified as "Mark," was entering the jewelry store with his wife when the robbery happened.

Mark told KSAZ-TV, "We were here for her birthday, and we were here at the shop shopping, and the gentleman ran out with a whole tray of jewelry, and we tackled him and waited for the police to show up. Screaming ‘just catch him! He just robbed the jewelry store!’ So we just grabbed him, held him down, and the police were here within three to four minutes."

"First day after our two-month vacation – and we had everything in the safe – and today was the day we had everything laid on the table. Look at the chances," said Serg Karageuzian – co-owner of Marina Jewelry. "We were replacing the stuff, and everything was on the showcases."

Marina Jewelry co-owner Anna Marina Solakian said of the heroic customers, "They saved my product, saved the neighborhood, and I want to thank everybody that sacrificed themselves to help a neighbor or stranger that they didn’t know."

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