Armed Robbers Strike Frisco Jewelry Store

[ScubaSigGuy]

I have been debating posting this since I found out about it on Wednesday one week after it happened. The problem is that it has been running through my mind since.

I went to Samuels on Wednesday to pick up my wedding band that we ordered for our upcoming nuptuals. When I got there I noticed an empty Cartier case, and a few things out of place. Since I spent 4 or 5 years running a store similar to theirs several years ago I asked a few questions only to be told the story below.

The reason that it keeps running through my mind is because I was suppossed to be there on that same morning to pick up the band but changed my mind and decided to pick it up the following week. I am very thankful that I changed my plans, but I can't help but wonder what might have happend had I been there. It is very fortunate that nobody was hurt, however the ladies involved are very shaken up over it. There is no doubt in my mind that in this situation any male that might present a threat would be in greater danger and the thiefs actions may have been more violent.

I have zero interest in being a hero but being reactive isn't my first choice either. If you comply and they discover you are armed then what? it's not like they are going to say hand over your weapon and then just contnue on. Obviously there are a lot of variables, but I am not sure that you have a choice of action with two armed robbers and two innocent women present. It has certainly made me think.



Armed Robbers Strike Frisco Jewelry Store
FRISCO (CBS 11 News) ―
Police say a Frisco jewelry store was robbed of watches and jewelry this morning. The store's owner says the crooks got away with more than $1 million worth of jewels.

Police tell CBS 11 News that two masked men burst into Mark Samuels Jewelers on Gaylord Parkway at about 11 a.m. Each man was carrying a gun and wearing pig masks. One of them also had some kind of blue bag with a drawstring.

The owner, Mark Samuels, said he knew something was wrong when he walked into the store and noticed his two female employees were not at the front of the store.


"I found the two of them huddled together on the floor of the workshop, trembling and shaking," said Samuels.


While one of the crooks held one of the women at gunpoint, the other forced the second employee to open the store's safe.

The man took everything out of the safe. Then he reportedly forced the employee to open the watch case.

"They had the one lady lay down on the floor with a gun to her and took the other lady to certain show cases and said, 'Open that case,'" said Samuels.


Police say the crooks got away with more than two dozen Cartier watches, four cases of diamond bridal wrings and several loose gems.

"This is the biggest time of year for us. We'll typically do 25 to 30 percent in December," said Samuels. The store was burglarized twice in 2005 after store hours. "We'll bounce back. We always move forward, but it's tough."

Samuels said the store's doors will now remain locked at all times and employees will buzz customers in and out. They are also considering hiring a full time armed guard.


Police say the store's security camera was down for repairs at the time. They are hoping a camera from nearby Stonebriar Center mall will be able to give them more information.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[Penn]

I guess in this case it would have been best to do nothing as they didn't fire the weapons. Who knows though if there had been other people in the store or a male, they might have acted differently.

Kind of a coincidence that the cameras just happened to be down for repairs though.

[dukalmighty]

In that situation,unless at the end you felt like you were going to be lined up and executed do nothing,if you shoot bg in storeroom you just escalated it and it is now a hostage situation or worse,apparently they knew what they wanted and had cased it before the robbery,they wanted the jewelry not a murder rap.I would try to be a good witness

[ScubaSigGuy]

Kind of a coincidence that the cameras just happened to be down for repairs though.

I thought the same thing, but the reality is that many stores use fake cameras and mirrored domes as a deterrent. Not a bright idea in my opinion, but I am not sure if that's what they had there.

[Rex B]

Seems to me if you are in a small jewelry store and two men come in with masks and guns, you can consider yourself in mortal danger and act accordingly. You also have no way of knowing if they are going to kill off all the witnesses before leaving, so you almost have to assume that will be the case.

Bad situation for all concerned.