News

Thieves raid Wisconsin jeweler

August 24, 2006


Store clerk shot in midday robbery; suspects at large

A Georgetown jewelry store was robbed Sunday afternoon in a violent heist that left one of the shop’s owners critically wounded and launched a district-wide search for the trio of suspects..

According to an advisory posted on the Metropolitan Police Department web site, the three suspects entered Georgetown Fine Jewelry and Art, located at 1265 Wisconsin Ave. across the street from the Gap, just before 2 p.m. With the aid of at least one handgun, the men robbed the store of cash and jewelry and took cash and credit cards from two store employees.

In the course of the holdup, one of the employees was shot in the back. The suspects fled the scene by car.

A worker who was sweeping up broken glass and restocking the emptied display cases in the store Monday afternoon would not say how much was taken, only that it was “enough” to be considered serious. He refused to give his name.

Despite the afternoon crowds filling lower Wisconsin Ave.’s busy retail corridor, no one passing by seemed aware of the crime taking place just feet away from some of the street’s most popular outlets.

“There were no gunshots,” Paolo’s Ristorante Manager Chris Perilli said. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Out of concern for his staff’s safety, Perilli doesn’t let anyone close the restaurant alone at night anymore.

“It’s getting kind of sketchy in this area,” he said. “Crime is definitely a concern.’

Police investigators are reaching out to the public for help in tracking down the suspects. So far no arrests have been made.

“We are hoping people will come forth if they saw anything,” MPDC Media Liaison Officer Bryson said.

Bryson said the injured jewelry store worker, whose name is being withheld because he is considered a witness in the case, is in stable condition. He is being treated at Georgetown University Hospital.

Additional reporting by Michael J. Bruns



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