The chief of the Seattle Police Division was reportedly simply yards away from a jewellery retailer when it was ransacked in broad daylight on Thursday, with the robbers getting away with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, gold and luxurious watches.
That day, 4 masked robbers executed the theft at Menashe & Sons Jewelers in West Seattle, threatening staffers with bear spray and a stun gun after smashing the locked glass entrance door with a hammer and stealing every part from six show circumstances within the retailer.
However as the jewellery heist was going down, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was consuming lunch simply yards away, a police supply instructed The Jason Rantz Present on Seattle Purple 770 AM.
A spokesperson for the Seattle Police Division confirmed to The Jason Rantz Present that the chief was close by, however couldn’t say particularly the place he was on the time of the theft.
“Chief Barnes and his safety element had been at a close-by enterprise when the theft occurred,” the spokesperson stated. “They had been contained in the enterprise and had been unaware of the crime unfolding.
“The suspects had been out and in of the jewellery retailer in precisely 90 seconds,” the spokesperson added. “His safety element was in plain garments on the time of the theft.”
The division spokesperson additionally instructed the radio present the chief and his element grew to become conscious of the theft after police automobiles with lights and sirens responded to the scene.
Thieves smashed open a case with an emerald necklace price $125,000 and a case containing round $750,000 price of Rolex watches, police stated.
“We’re fairly shook up as a employees,” Josh Menashe, vp of the family-owned retailer, stated on Friday. “We’re gonna be closed for some time.”
Matthew Strommen, the supervisor of close by Industrious Gymnasium instructed FOX 13 in Seattle the staff of the jewellery retailer escaped out the again and went to the health club for assist.
He added that there was “quite a lot of shock and shock” due to the theft, resulting in the health club locking the doorways till police arrived.
The suspects escaped in a getaway automotive earlier than police arrived at midday. No arrests have been made but.
Nobody was damage throughout the theft.
Seattle police are asking anybody with data to name 206-233-5000.