3816 Steilacoom Blvd. SW — Approximate Site of Crown Jewelry Robbery
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…