Thieves backed a car into the front door of Atlas Jewelers on Van Dyke Avenue in Shelby Township early Monday morning, shattering glass and stealing bags of jewelry — all of it caught on surveillance camera.
The robbery happened at around 2 a.m. After the car was backed into the front of the store, masked thieves made their way inside, smashing display cases and taking as much as they could carry. The entire incident lasted less than six minutes.
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Co-owner Mark Krumins woke up to a call from his alarm company and opened the app on his phone to watch a live feed of his in-store cameras.
"Absolutely horrified to see there's actually a robbery in progress. I mean to see it, right on your phone, in your store, it was like, woah," Krumins said.
Krumins raced to the store, where police had already arrived — but the suspects were already gone.
"It really makes your heart sink, the amount of damage. It was a short amount of time but just shattered glass everywhere," Krumins said.
Krumins said all customer orders, repairs, and the store's most expensive products were locked in safes. Some showroom inventory, however, was stolen. Damage to displays alone totals $14,000, not including the loss of business while the store remains closed.
"This is going to be a lot of cleanup. It's going to take some time, we're not going to be open for weeks," Krumins said.
Atlas Jewelers, a nearly 30-year-old local business, will continue to handle repairs and orders while police search for the suspects.
"We're not a family business, but in many ways we kind of are," Krumins said.
"We have a lot to be grateful for and this is a hiccup in the road. We're going to get through it," Krumins said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Shelby Township Police.
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