Feisty store owner thwarts armed robbery

A gun-wielding, would-be robber fled a Malvern jewelry store empty-handed after fighting with the owner on Jan. 13, police say.

Toronto Police reported a man wearing a balaclava entered Luxe Jewellery store in Malvern Town Centre shortly after 7 p.m.

Armed with a shotgun, the man is said to have demanded the store owner hand over jewelry.

As the owner went to comply, the robber used the gun in his hand to shatter a display case to remove a quantity of jewelry. A fight ensued between the two men and the suspect fled the store, police say.

The 54-year-old store owner suffered only minor injuries.

The security desk at Malvern Town Centre is remaining tight-lipped.

“At this point and time, the matter is still under investigation and we are not able to give any details about what happened,” said Natasha Tiessen, the mall’s director of marketing.

Luxe Jewellery was equipped with security cameras that were rolling while the robbery was in progress. Police have since retrieved the tapes but are not yet revealing if the suspect was captured on the images.

CP24 previously reported on its website that police are looking for two suspects in connection to the robbery. However, the store owner and Const. Wendy Drummond have confirmed to The Observer only one male entered the jewelry store.

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating the suspect. He is described as a black male, between 19 and 27 years old, with brown eyes and a medium build. He is between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9 tall, and weighs 141 to 161 pounds.

Anyone with information about this incident can call Toronto Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or online at 222tips.com.

About this article

By:
Posted: Jan 29 2009 10:29 am
Edition:
Filed under: News