FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man who, police said, was involved in a jewelry store robbery at a shopping mall in Fort Lauderdale faced a judge, Tuesday.
The suspect, however, was under the impression he would be able to post bond. “My attorney, he’s in Palm Beach. He doesn’t know I’m incarcerated,” Black told Broward Circuit Judge Michael Davis. “Like I told him, I can go in with a public defender in this case. I just needed to get a bond.”
But the judge did not grant his request. “Well, sir, it’s a punishable-by-life offense,” said Davis. “You may not be entitled to a bond.”
Sure enough, Black was denied bond.
Surveillance cameras captured a four-door, 2000 gray Honda sedan pulling up in front of the business, Monday, just before 5 p.m. Two men were then seen getting out of the vehicle and entering the business.
Another camera captured a terrified woman running out of the store as the thieves barged in. “I was standing here; they came in with a hammer, smashing the window, the glass showcases and grabbing all this gold and diamonds,” said store owner Nouri Hassan, who has owned the business for 35 years.
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.
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 to stop him and slow him down.”
The thieves took off about 40 seconds after they came in, leaving a trail of broken glass in their wake. They were seen running out of the shopping center with plastic bags full of merchandise and taking off in the Honda.
Later that night, Fort Lauderdale Police stopped the car and arrested Black. At least three other perpetrators remain at large.
Hassan said the crooks took about $250,000 in gold and diamonds. “I’m just trying to make a living,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Nouri’s Hallmark Shop has been targeted by thieves. On May 22, 2015, cameras captured robbers smashing the store’s display cases and taking off with thousands of dollars in merchandise.
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. They shoot you, 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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