An armed robbery took place at the Village Shopping Centre Thursday night just after 9 p.m., only minutes before closing time. Several witnesses told the Telegram that the masked suspect entered Charm Diamond Centre and was armed with a sawed-off shotgun and a small hammer he used to break glass in the display cases. One of the employees of the store shouted, “He’s got a gun!!!”, sending shoppers and other workers in the mall running for cover and exits. One of the witnesses said the suspect was visibly shaking during the incident. The male suspect then ran towards one of the exits but not before two of the witnesses confronted the alleged perpetrator. They backed off when the man pointed his weapon at them but not before one of them threw one of his tools at him.
The man escaped in a car and one of the witnesses says he followed the suspect to get a description of the vehicle and a possible license plate number. Police could be seen inside the mall outside the store speaking to employees and witnesses. An female employee of the jewelry store could also be seen speaking to police in a cruiser outside the exit doors. This is the second time in recent months that this same store has been the victim of an armed robbery. The suspect is described by one of the witnesses as male, about 5’4” inches tall, skinny and wearing dark clothing and a mask. No information was available as to what may have been taken in this most recent incident. There did not appear to be any injuries.
