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Wave of Smash-and-Grab Robberies Hit Midwest
Suspects have broken through showcases in jewelry stores in Michigan and Illinois, the JSA said.
New York--There have been a half-dozen smash-and-grab robberies in the Midwest over a period of a little more than a month, the Jewelers Security Alliance said in a crime alert issued Friday.
The first in the current string of incidences happened Oct. 6 at a jewelry store in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
According to the JSA, two male suspects entered the business at about 8:39 p.m. with small hammers and used them to smash the top of a case containing diamonds. They were in and out of the store in one minute, escaping in a white vehicle with the loose diamonds they stole.
On Oct. 13 and again on Nov. 3, a jewelry store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile was hit by smash-and-grab robbers.
According to the JSA, the early November incident happened around 11:40 a.m., when three men used a mallet to smash showcases and take high-end watches before fleeing down three sets of escalators.
The suspects are reported as being males between 17 and 25 years old, and between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall.
In the Oct. 13 incident at the same store, the suspects reportedly fled in a gold Jeep Cherokee, the JSA said.
Anyone with information about these two incidents is asked to call Chicago Police Department detectives at 312-747-8384.
The three other incidents all happened in cities in Michigan between Oct. 25 and Nov. 13.
In Portage on Oct. 25, four suspects entered a store at 8:23 p.m. One of them held the door while the others headed to the back of the store. Two of them began smashing showcases while the third, possibly a female, put loose diamonds into a bag.
A group of three suspects hit a jewelry store in Novi on Nov. 13, also stealing loose diamonds, while a group of four male suspects did the same at a store in Madison Heights on Nov. 9 and got away with diamond merchandise.
JSA President John J. Kennedy said they are unable to prove at this time that these crimes are being perpetrated by a singular gang, though there are
Back in 2014, there were two gangs operating who caused what the JSA described as “an explosion” in the number of smash-and-grabs. Many of the individuals involved in those crimes were eventually arrested and the number of smash-and-grabs dropped after that.
The JSA offered a number of tips to help jewelers prevent or mitigate losses from smash-and-grab robberies.
They include having showcases with burglary-resistant, laminated glass and special frames that can withstand multiple blows from a hammer and spreading out the most valuable merchandise, like high-end watches and diamonds, among multiple showcases.
The JSA also recommends having buzzers on doors, positioning security cameras at eye level so they capture the best possible pictures, keeping a log book of suspicious incidences and sharing information among other local jewelers, the JSA and police.
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