Police investigate smash-and-grab at jewelry store in Oakville Place mall

Halton police have opened an investigation after a robbery at a jewelry store in Oakville Place mall Wednesday afternoon, involving multiple suspects.

At around 5:15 p.m. three suspects wearing masks entered Michael Hill Jewellers in the mall.

They used hammers to break through multiple glass display cases, and remove a large quantity of jewelry.

Employees and other businesses saw the attack that took place while it was still bright outside and say that safety was top priority.

“I finished my shift over at the store and some guy came running through the store saying he heard what sounded like gun shots,” says Shaun Rollo, who works at one of the nearby stores.

“I grabbed a headset from one of the other associates in the store and radioed to be like, hey we’ve got to close our gate and block it off in case something happens.”

Investigators say the suspects were in and out of the store in roughly two minutes.

Inside the store, glass was left on the floor and police arrived to inspect what was left behind.

They say the suspects fled in a white vehicle of an unknown make or model after the incident.

Halton police say no injuries were reported.

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Detectives are looking for at least three suspects of unknown ages:

• One suspect is a male with a slim build, who was wearing a grey tracksuit, gloves and a face mask.
• A second suspect is also a male with a slim build, who was wearing a black tracksuit, gloves and a face mask.
• A third suspect is a male with a heavier build, who was wearing a grey hoodie, grey pants, gloves and a face mask, and was also carrying a duffle bag.

Officers also say they are looking for potential additional suspects.

“Whether there is someone who was just a dedicated get-away driver, a fourth suspect there could be more than that. We often have suspects who come to the mall before they commit the robbery and those are things we are going to be looking into as well,” Halton Police Const. Ryan Anderson says.

No arrests have been made yet at this time.

Officers have also been investigating other smash and grabs in the area, with Charm Diamond Centres at Mapleview Mall, and Oakville Jewellery being robbed within the last few months.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777, ext. 2216.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

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