A masked crew of four hit Crown Jewelry on Steilacoom Boulevard in Lakewood Wednesday afternoon, smashing display cases with axes while one suspect carried a rifle, before the store's own security locks trapped them inside and forced them to break a window to get away. No one was hurt, and police said Thursday that no suspects were in custody.
How the Robbery Unfolded
The robbery happened at about 3:30 p.m., according to The News Tribune. One of the four suspects carried a rifle while the other three carried axes, the paper reported, though KING 5 described the same breakdown slightly differently, reporting that one suspect had the rifle while the rest carried axes. The suspects used their axes to smash the display cases and made off with what The News Tribune called an unspecified amount of jewelry.
Fox 13 Seattle, which first reported on the case, says the group spent less than a minute inside the store and that store employees had buzzed in a woman around 3:30 p.m., who then held the door open for three men wearing white jumpsuits and masks, according to police. The suspects left the store in a getaway vehicle, Crown Jewelry's surveillance video reportedly captured the robbery and the vehicle used to flee, though police have asked the store's owners not to release that footage while they chase down leads, per Fox 13 Seattle.
Trapped by Their Own Target
The irony of the heist is that the suspects' escape plan nearly failed before it started. Crown Jewelry's front door is equipped with an automatic locking mechanism that essentially trapped the suspects inside once they were in, the station's report notes. With the exit sealed, the group broke the glass door and windows to force their way out, as reported by KOMO News.
That same breaking glass triggered a wave of panic in the neighborhood. Fox 13 Seattle reports that neighbors and nearby business employees made multiple 911 calls after mistaking the sound for gunfire. Lakewood police confirmed the noise came from glass breaking rather than shots, and there was initially a report of shots being fired at the business, which is incorrect, per the same account relayed by The News Tribune.
Police Seek Tips as Investigation Continues
Lakewood Police Department Sgt. Charles Porche said the robbers were locked inside and broke a window to get out, and that police believe that sound was mistaken for gunfire, according to Fox 13 Seattle. Porche also said one of the three entrants was armed with a rifle while the other two carried axes and took jewelry, and he asked the public to report anyone trying to sell a large amount of loose jewelry. Authorities have not released the total monetary value of the stolen jewelry.
The Lakewood case follows a similar scare earlier this month in Lynnwood, where masked suspects rammed a pickup truck into a jewelry store during an attempted robbery on Oct. 6, according to KING 5. In that case, an employee fired a gun at the suspects, causing them to flee, and the group escaped in a black BMW SUV and a silver Toyota or Infiniti sedan. No injuries were reported in the Lynnwood incident, mirroring the outcome in Lakewood.
Lakewood police continue to search for the four suspects involved in Wednesday's robbery. Anyone with information, including tips about large quantities of loose jewelry being sold, is encouraged to contact investigators.
