A dramatic scene unfolded at a family-owned jewelry store in Richmond, west London, as hammer-wielding thieves brazenly broke in during daylight hours. The staff’s courageous attempts to repel the intruders were also caught on camera.
The incident, which occurred this morning, was captured by an eyewitness and quickly spread across social media platforms. The footage shows two men aggressively smashing the glass of Gregory & Co., a well-known family-run jeweler, using a large hammer.
Once the glass was shattered, the assailants proceeded to fill a blue bag with the valuables from the window display. Meanwhile, the store employees, determined to protect their merchandise, can be seen scrambling to retrieve items before they are taken.
In a brave effort to thwart the heist, the staff resorted to using a small box to hit the robbers, trying to prevent them from making off with more goods. Despite their valiant efforts, the robbers managed to continue their theft.
Staff members inside the shop can then be seen desperately trying to claw back what they can before the thieves can snatch it.
Bravely, the staff then begin hitting the robbers with what appears to be a small box to try and deter them from taking anymore goods – without much success.
The thugs then flee the scene as shocked bystanders watch on.
An employee who works at a nearby store and witnessed the incident told the Daily Mail of how the robbers caused chaos this Saturday morning during their heist in the affluent west London town.
This is the moment hammer-wielding thugs broke into a family-run jewellers and ransacked the window display while brave staff tried to fend them off
In footage, taken by a onlooker and shared widely on social media, two men can be seen swinging a larger hammer against the glass of the the family-owned jewellers Gregory & co
‘The two guys appeared out of nowhere carrying a large sledgehammer and a bag. They then started smashing the jewelers window up,’ they said.
The Daily Mail have approached the Metropolitan Police for a comment.
The heist is just the latest instance of robbers targeting jewelers across the capital.
On Thursday, Sultan Jewellers in Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, was attacked by several men who smashed the shop’s windows with a sledgehammer.
Police officers were at the scene within three minutes and were threatened with a hammer as the thieves tried to speed away on mopeds.
A 33-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of aggravated burglary and remains in police custody. But multiple thieves escaped police.
A police cordon was in place more than 12 hours after the theft while shards of broken glass and jewellery remained strewn on the floor outside.
Jack Stones, the landlord at the neighbouring Defectors Weld pub, said fresh blood was on the pavement outside the jewellers when he walked past at 7am, more than three hours after the attack.
One resident said the attack was eerily similar to another heist which saw three robbers armed with a sledgehammer smash into the shop with a Range Rover in October 2019.
Sultan Jewellers in Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, was targeted by several men who smashed the shop’s windows with sledgehammers
A police cordon was in place more than 12 hours after the theft while shards of broken glass and jewellery remained strewn on the floor
Mr Khan, who only gave his surname, said: ‘It’s Shepherds Bush, there’s always young people causing trouble, kicking the doors of shops down and drinking. Crime around here has got so bad lately.’
The aforementioned previous robbery saw a black Range Rover crash through the window of the e-Smart Money foreign exchange, which was linked internally to the jewellers, before a thief in a motorcycle helmet rushed out with a sledgehammer.
Bystanders were forced to take justice into their own hands and restrained one of the three robbers, Ben Wegener, as they attempted to flee on foot towards Westfield shopping centre.
Pedestrians rushed to the thief, who had dropped a bag on the ground when he fell, and attempted to restrain him, pummeling him on the street while other onlookers filmed the scenes.
A small group then pushed the apparent thief back to the ground when he tried to rise to his feet.
Wegener, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he and two accomplices robbed the store, narrowly missing people inside.
The other two robbers escaped but Wegener pleaded guilty to robbery, dangerous driving, possession of an offensive weapon, criminal damage and receiving stolen goods.
Police later recovered the Range Rover, which was stolen and was displaying false number plates.
