Two thieves armed with hammers stormed the Helzberg Diamond Outlet at Great Lakes Crossing on Monday evening, smashing display cases and grabbing jewelry before anyone could stop them, according to Auburn Hills police. Witnesses told officers the pair went to work on the glass, scooped up what they could, and bolted from the mall before police arrived. No employees or shoppers were threatened, investigators said.
What police are looking for
Detectives are now trying to track down the suspects, described as two Black men between 18 and 25 years old, each about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build, according to The Detroit News. One man was said to be wearing a dark-colored coat, a white shirt, and light-blue jeans. The other reportedly wore a light-gray hoodie, orange shorts, and white shoes and carried a camouflage backpack.
Police say the pair smashed multiple display cases, grabbed jewelry in a hurry, and ran out of the store as stunned workers and shoppers tried to process what had just happened.
Mall already on edge after deadly shooting
The smash-and-grab landed at a tense moment for Great Lakes Crossing. Just days earlier, a shooting in the mall’s food court left a 20-year-old man dead and a 19-year-old woman injured, as reported by WXYZ. That killing brought a heavy police presence and rattled many regulars who treat the mall as a weekend hangout, not a crime scene.
Investigators are still working both cases, combing through surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as they try to piece together what happened in the food court and at the jewelry store.
A pattern police have faced before
For Auburn Hills police, this is hardly the first time a jewelry store at the outlet mall has been hit. In January 2024, thieves used sledgehammers at the same Helzberg location and made off with about $11,000 in merchandise, FOX 2 Detroit reported. Masked Robbers Swipe $11K also noted that video captured the earlier theft and that multiagency probes sometimes followed cases like that one.
Law-enforcement sources say smash-and-grab jobs in busy malls tend to be fast and chaotic and can spill across city or county lines, which makes coordination between agencies a key part of tracking the crews behind them.
How to help
Police are now asking anyone who saw Monday’s heist or caught it on camera to come forward. Witnesses who have video are urged to save the footage and contact the Auburn Hills Police Department at 248-370-9444, according to the Auburn Hills Police Department.
Investigators say details like what the suspects were wearing, descriptions of the backpack or any vehicle information, along with surveillance clips from phones or security systems, could help move the case along. Tips can be submitted anonymously and may assist detectives as they work the active investigation.
Police say the probe into the Helzberg theft is ongoing and that more information will be released as it becomes available.
