Latest news with #Menashe&SonsJewelers
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Seattle police chief was reportedly having lunch as $2M jewelry store robbery happened just yards away
Advertisement The chief of the Seattle Police Department was reportedly just yards away from a jewelry store when it was ransacked in broad daylight on Thursday, with the robbers getting away with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, gold and luxury watches. That day, four masked robbers executed the robbery at Menashe & Sons Jewelers in West Seattle, threatening staffers with bear spray and a stun gun after smashing the locked glass front door with a hammer and stealing everything from six display cases in the store. But as the jewelry heist was taking place, Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was eating lunch just yards away, a police source told The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM. A spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department confirmed to The Jason Rantz Show that the chief was nearby, but couldn't say specifically where he was at the time of the robbery. Advertisement 'Chief Barnes and his security detail were at a nearby business when the robbery occurred,' the spokesperson said. 'They were inside the business and were unaware of the crime unfolding. 3 Chief of Seattle Police Shon Barnes was reportedly having lunch at a restaurant just yards away when the jewel heist went down. NIJ 'The suspects were in and out of the jewelry store in exactly 90 seconds,' the spokesperson added. 'His security detail was in plain clothes at the time of the robbery.' The department spokesperson also told the radio show the chief and his detail became aware of the robbery after police vehicles with lights and sirens responded to the scene. Advertisement Thieves smashed open a case with an emerald necklace worth $125,000 and a case containing around $750,000 worth of Rolex watches, police said. 3 Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said Friday. Menashe & Sons Jewelers 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, vice president of the family-owned store, said on Friday. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' Matthew Strommen, the manager of nearby Industrious Gym told FOX 13 in Seattle the employees of the jewelry store escaped out the back and went to the gym for help. Advertisement He added that there was 'a lot of shock and surprise' because of the robbery, leading to the gym locking the doors until police arrived. 3 Four masked robbers executed the robbery at Menashe & Sons Jewelers in West Seattle, threatening staffers with bear spray and a stun gun after smashing the locked glass front door with a hammer and stealing everything from six display cases in the store. Menashe & Sons Jewelers The suspects escaped in a getaway car before police arrived at noon. No arrests have been made yet. No one was hurt during the robbery. Seattle police are asking anyone with information to call 206-233-5000.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Rolexes, Emeralds Stolen in $2 Million Seattle Jewelry Heist
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Four masked suspects smashed through the locked glass front door of a Seattle jeweler on Thursday, making off with roughly $2 million in diamonds, emeralds, gold and luxury watches in a 90-second smash-and-grab. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) wrote in a press release the heist took place around noon in the West Seattle Junction, a popular shopping and dining area. One of the displays the suspects smashed at Menashe & Sons Jewelers held about $700,000 to $800,000 in Rolex watches, while others had diamonds and an emerald necklace, according to the report. Menashe & Sons Jewelers said in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday that none of their customers items were stolen. Newsweek has reached out to Menashe & Sons Jewelers via email Sunday during non-working hours for more information. Why It Matters SPD described the theft as a rapid, organized operation that targeted high-value items and used threats of force to clear staff from the display areas. The latest incident underscored vulnerabilities in retail security during daytime hours and raised public safety concerns in a busy commercial corridor. What To Know Patrol officers responded at about 12 p.m. to a robbery report in the 4500 block of California Avenue Southwest and found that four masked suspects had used hammers to break the locked glass door and then shattered six display cases, according to the SPD. Police said one display case held between $700,000 and $800,000 in Rolex watches, another contained an emerald necklace valued at $125,000, along with a platinum diamond, and two other cases contained a large amount of gold jewelry. Officers reported that one suspect pointed bear spray and a Taser at employees while the others removed merchandise, but no injuries were reported, SPD said. Surveillance video later published by local news outlet KOMO showed suspects breaking into the store and quickly ransacking cases before fleeing in a getaway car that eluded officers responding to the scene. A Seattle Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform, July 17, 2016, in Seattle. A Seattle Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform, July 17, 2016, in Seattle. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File What People Are Saying Menashe & Sons Jewelers released an official statement on Instagram: "To our valued customers and community. We want to assure you that all customer jewelry and watches are safe and were not among the items taken during the recent robbery at our store. Your trust means everything to us and we are grateful to share this important news with you. As we work to assess, regroup and repair the damage done, Menashe & Sons will be closed on Friday, Saturday and Monday." Josh Menashe, vice president of Menashe & Sons Jewelers, told AP by phone Friday: "We're pretty shook up as a staff. We're gonna be closed for a while." Bret Gibson, an employee at a gym across the street, told local news outlet KIRO: "You could still hear like a lot of breaking glass and banging around and stuff, so they were in there around noon still robbing the store while everyone was on the phone calling the cops." Jim Fuda of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound told local news outlet KOMO: "They were in for one minute and forty seconds and out the door they went with almost $2 million in equipment." What Happens Next? As of Sunday, the suspects remain at large, with no description of perpetrators of the getaway vehicle involved released. SPD said the Robbery Unit, Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and the Photo and Video Units were all processing the scene and following investigative leads. Anyone with information was urged to contact the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, with anonymous tips accepted.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Smash-and-grab robbers steal $2M in jewelry in daytime Seattle heist that took about 90 seconds
Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said Friday. Video from the West Seattle store's surveillance cameras shows four masked suspects shattering the locked glass front door with hammers and then ransacking six display cases Thursday. Jewel thieves in Seattle, Washington, made off with approximately $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold, and other items in a midday jewelry store robbery that lasted under 2 minutes. Menashe & Sons Jewelers The Rolex watches the thieves stole were worth around $750,000, along with an emerald necklace valued at $125,000, according to police. Menashe & Sons Jewelers One display held around $750,000 worth in Rolex watches, police said in a statement, and another had an emerald necklace valued at $125,000. A masked suspect threatened workers with bear spray and a Taser, police said, but no one was injured. 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, vice president of the family-owned store, said by phone Friday. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' Menashe said workers finished cleaning up the broken glass and were working on a full inventory of the losses. Police said they responded to the robbery but the suspects had already fled in a getaway car and eluded a search of the area.
