Thieves ram truck through jewelry store for easy payday — armed owner has other plans
The plan seemed simple enough.
Drive a pickup truck through the front of a jewelry store. Rush inside with an axe. Grab the valuables. Make a quick getaway.
There was just one problem.
Nobody apparently bothered to ask whether the jewelry store owner had a gun. And judging by the surveillance video, that little oversight turned a carefully planned smash-and-grab into an exceptionally expensive trip to the mall.
The attempted robbery unfolded shortly after 12:25 p.m. Tuesday at Medina Jewelers in Lynnwood, Washington. Police say three vehicles were spotted circling the parking lot before a white Toyota Tacoma suddenly accelerated straight into the storefront. The truck smashed through the glass entrance, sending debris flying as employees scrambled to safety.
Then came the masked suspects. At least one appeared to be carrying an axe as the group charged through the wreckage, apparently expecting to make off with the store’s jewelry.
Instead, they encountered the owner. And he was armed.
Surveillance footage shows the man drawing his firearm and opening fire as the intruders scramble back toward the demolished entrance. Just like that, the shopping spree was over.
No diamonds. No watches. No necklaces. Not even a complimentary polishing cloth.
The suspects fled without taking any merchandise, abandoning the pickup that had just turned the storefront into a construction project. Police said no injuries were reported at the scene, although investigators were still trying to determine whether any of the fleeing suspects had been struck by gunfire.
According to the Lynnwood Police Department, the suspects escaped in a black BMW SUV and a silver sedan believed to be a Toyota or Infiniti. The BMW reportedly struck a parked vehicle during the getaway and may have sustained damage to its front passenger side.
So let’s review the alleged criminal business model. One pickup truck sacrificed. One jewelry store demolished. One getaway vehicle damaged. Zero jewelry acquired.
Drive a pickup truck through the front of a jewelry store. Rush inside with an axe. Grab the valuables. Make a quick getaway.
There was just one problem.
Nobody apparently bothered to ask whether the jewelry store owner had a gun. And judging by the surveillance video, that little oversight turned a carefully planned smash-and-grab into an exceptionally expensive trip to the mall.
The attempted robbery unfolded shortly after 12:25 p.m. Tuesday at Medina Jewelers in Lynnwood, Washington. Police say three vehicles were spotted circling the parking lot before a white Toyota Tacoma suddenly accelerated straight into the storefront. The truck smashed through the glass entrance, sending debris flying as employees scrambled to safety.
Then came the masked suspects. At least one appeared to be carrying an axe as the group charged through the wreckage, apparently expecting to make off with the store’s jewelry.
Instead, they encountered the owner. And he was armed.
Surveillance footage shows the man drawing his firearm and opening fire as the intruders scramble back toward the demolished entrance. Just like that, the shopping spree was over.
No diamonds. No watches. No necklaces. Not even a complimentary polishing cloth.
The suspects fled without taking any merchandise, abandoning the pickup that had just turned the storefront into a construction project. Police said no injuries were reported at the scene, although investigators were still trying to determine whether any of the fleeing suspects had been struck by gunfire.
According to the Lynnwood Police Department, the suspects escaped in a black BMW SUV and a silver sedan believed to be a Toyota or Infiniti. The BMW reportedly struck a parked vehicle during the getaway and may have sustained damage to its front passenger side.
So let’s review the alleged criminal business model. One pickup truck sacrificed. One jewelry store demolished. One getaway vehicle damaged. Zero jewelry acquired.
70-79, M
