FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida business owner took matters in his own hands when, he said, robbers barged in and took off with hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-end jewelry, Monday afternoon.
Police have taken one person into custody, 25-year-old Devonte Black, in connection to the shopping mall robbery. Police have charged Black with armed robbery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He is being held without bond.
Surveillance cameras rolled as Nouri Hassan threw a chair at one of three perpetrators who, he said, emptied his display cases at his business, located at the Coral Ridge Mall, in Fort Lauderdale. “I threw the chairs to stop him, slow him down,” he said.
The footage shows a car pulling up in front of Nouri’s Hallmark Store, just before 5 p.m. Two men are then seen getting out of the vehicle and entering the business.
Another captures a terrified woman running out of the store as the thieves take out hammers and start smashing glass. “Smashing the gold showcases, grabbing all the gold and diamonds,” said Hassan.
At one point, one of the perpetrators, seen wearing a red hoodie, starts to leave but comes back for more, as a third accomplice, seen wearing a ski hat, comes into the business.
And that’s when, Hassan said, he had enough. He is seen throwing a chair at the thieves.
“I tried to slow him down, because he said, ‘I have a gun,'” said Hassan. “As soon as he said that, I threw the chair at him.”
The thieves took off as quickly as they came in, leaving a trail of broken glass in their wake.
Hassan said the crooks took more than $200,000 in gold and diamonds. “I’m just trying to make a living,” he said.
Not long after, Fort Lauderdale Police took one person into custody.
While the cleanup at his store continues, Hassan said he’s thankful no one was hurt.
However, after getting robbed for the second time in two years, the business owner said he may get out of the jewelry business before it costs him more than he’s willing to pay. “These scumbags, I mean, they don’t have — they don’t care if they shoot you, if they kill you for a few hundred dollars,” he said.
If you have any information on this robbery or the remaining subjects’ whereabouts, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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