Police search for suspects in botched jewelry store robbery
The suspects were unable to gain entry and fled in a white SUV, police say
The London Police Service (LPS) street crime unit is investigating after four men tried and failed to force their way into a jewelry store in the city's southwest end Tuesday afternoon.
At around 4:15 p.m., four men exited a white SUV in the 400-block of Wharncliffe Road South, police said. They were seen wearing dark clothing and masks, and attempted to enter the store by damaging an exterior window of the business. They were unable to do so and fled in the vehicle.
Police were called, and approximately an hour after the incident, officers learned that an SUV fitting the description of the suspect vehicle was seen operating in a dangerous manner near Tillsonburg, east of London. The vehicle fled from police in that jurisdiction.
There were no reported injuries.
The business sustained approximately $10,000 in damages.
LPS investigators are asking anyone who may have been in the area at the time of the attempted robbery, or who may have dash-cam footage or video surveillance that can help with the investigation, to contact them.
The Greater Toronto Area is reportedly seeing a rise in jewelry store robberies this year, with figures from local police forces showing that numbers have doubled, or even tripled in some regions.
Security footage from a string of recent robberies show just how violent some of the thefts are.