Masked men loot London jewellery shop in 30-second smash-and-grab, shocking onlookers
Workers at the family-run jeweller tried to hit back at the robbers, who fled after scooping valuables into a bag.
Two men were captured on video plundering a jewellery shop in broad daylight as a staff member tried to hit them with a block-like object. The incident happened at Richmond in London, England. (Image: Social media)
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In the latest of a spate of heists in London in the past few weeks, two masked men broke through a window of a family-run jewellery shop in south-west London, while workers tried to fend them off and save their goods.
TikTok user Amy Hilton's video footage of the brazen daytime robbery, which was picked up by numerous news media outlets later, shows a man smashing the shopfront window with a sledgehammer and peeling the panel back with his hands, while another man takes a blue bag and scoops up the items on display.
As one of the men continues to tear off the window panel, a hand reaches out from inside the shop with a block-like object to hit the robbers and beat them away, but to no avail.
A staff member then proceeds to sweep off some of the remaining display items.
Interrupted, the two men flee down the street.
The entire operation on Jan 31, which happened around 10.30am England time, was over in about half a minute.
The Metropolitan Police said that the case is being treated as an aggravated burglary.
People at the cafe opposite the shop, where Ms Hilton was filming, could be heard in her video telling one another to call the police. One voice said to "shut the door" in case the two men decided to barge into the cafe.
Ms Hilton, a 26-year-old flight stewardess, later told the United Kingdom's Metro news site: "I was in the cafe, I heard a thumping and then looked over and two men were bashing in the window. It was very shocking. There were people out and about, and everyone was very scared."
She said that she could not believe what she was seeing and "in Richmond of all places at that time of day".
Richmond is a wealthy neighbourhood along the River Thames. It has a number of high-end jewellers and luxury watch shops, the Metro report added.
The jewellery shop that was looted, Gregory & Co, is located along Paved Court, a cobblestone pedestrian street lined with boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
The area has served as a filming location for the award-winning comedy series Ted Lasso on Apple TV, the BBC reported.
The raid was one of several smash-and-grab robberies in London recently.
And on Jan 21 in central London, a group of armed robbers on motorcycles raided a Rolex shop in Knightsbridge, a district known for its luxury residences, high-end shopping and celebrity residents.
