Shoppers looking for post-holiday sales at a mall in northern Virginia wound up running for cover after a man robbed a jewelry store.
The heist happened around 5:30 pm Sunday at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, an upscale suburb of Washington, D.C.
Fairfax County Police say the man used a hammer to smash a display cases at Elite Jewelers open and grabbed the jewelry.
Officers are on scene of Elite Jewelers in Tysons Corner Center for a robbery. Suspect smashed jewelry cases with a hammer. NO shots were fired. Male suspect, white hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans. Call 703-691-2131 with info. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/hIgJ0bOC1b
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 1, 2023
The man then ran out of the store on the first floor, dropping the hammer and losing one of his shoes as he ran away.
Now that I’m down on the first floor, it is at a place called Elite Jewelers. You can see a hammer on the ground which was used in the robbery. A couple of stores away you can see where the robber lost his shoe. That person remains on the loose. pic.twitter.com/wAgQGbWLGf
— Maria Leaf (@MariaLeaf) January 1, 2023
The sound of broken glass made shoppers run screaming into the closest store as employees rushed to close the doors and keep everyone safe. No gunshots were fired and there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The salon just got a robocall from mall management. The incident (they didn’t specify) happened near Macy’s and is resolved.@FairfaxCountyPD remain on-scene. Mall is still very quiet at least in this wing.
— Maria Leaf (@MariaLeaf) January 1, 2023
Most stores remained locked down for a half hour, although some kept shoppers inside longer as the suspect had not been captured.
The incident happened on the first floor. Fairfax County police haven’t roped off and people are still in stores in some aspects while others are moving to the cars now. The incident, an apparent robbery is over. pic.twitter.com/6V6H4DREdq
— Maria Leaf (@MariaLeaf) January 1, 2023
It’s unclear how much the robber escaped with or what type of jewelry was taken. Police put up tape outside the store, but it didn’t stop shoppers from coming and taking a closer look as the hammer and shoe laid nearby.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The scene inside Tysons Corner Center moments after a man robbed a jewelry store with a hammer Sunday afternoon. Many stores shut down briefly before the mall closed early. If you saw the robbery, contact @FairfaxCountyPD pic.twitter.com/vVLUJ4q6xX
— Maria Leaf (@MariaLeaf) January 2, 2023
Mall management had no comment when asked by the Washington Examiner about the robbery. Fairfax County Police are continuing their investigation.
