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Thieves Smash Way Into Jewelry Store With Hammers

SHELBY TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - A business owner in Shelby Township is picking up the pieces after three masked men smashed their way into his jewelry store, making off with thousands of dollars worth of goods.

Owner Pierre Nahed said he got a call from his security company around 4:20 a.m. Thursday that police were responding to a break-in at Elegant Creations on Schoneherr Road, just south of 23 Mile Road.

"When I got here there was multiple cases broken, front glass everywhere," Nahed told WWJ's Sandra McNeill.

"They broke in and destroyed our Pandora case, which is a really popular line right now, and they stole things out of there. I mean, they really made a mess. These guys came in here with, each one of them had a hammer in their hand and they were busing everything up," he said.

Nahed said the thieves came prepared, and with their faces covered.

"Three thugs with masks so you couldn't see their face on camera, but we got them on video," he said.

The crooks destroyed about eight display cases and made off with a lot of inventory. But Nahed said luckily, the really expensive jewelry was untouched -- since it's kept under lock and key overnight.

"Merchandise wise, they stole things that are of a lot of value," he said. "Just in watches they probably took up to $10,000 at least, but I don't even know. We're still cleaning up and trying to do inventory and figure out what's gone."

Even though the heist happened at the crack of dawn, Nahed said he's hoping a possible witness can provide investigators with some crucial information.

"The cops are taking that lead right now, that someone was in the parking lot when these guys were here," he said.

Nahed said police are also looking into whether the suspects are the same men who recently robbed another jewelry store.

"There's one heavy-set guy and two skinnier guys. It's possible that these are the same guys who hit the 26 Mile Road and Van Dyke store in Shelby a couple months back, that's what the cops are telling me. So, they think it's the same people, especially the heavy-set guy," he said.

Police are expected to release more information about the incident later Thursday.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Shelby Township police at 586-731-2121.

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