Staff wield chairs against armed robber in Victoria jewelry store theft

Dramatic video surveillance shows the moment that a robbery suspect entered a jewelry store in Victoria and smashed open display cases, only to be confronted by people inside the shop who quickly grabbed chairs to defend themselves.

The incident occurred around 3:45 p.m. Saturday at a shop in downtown Victoria.

The video shows a man enter the store and push his way behind a display case. He then uses a hammer to break open one of the cases, putting items into a backpack.

The owner of the store tells CTV News it's lucky that he and many of his staff, including goldsmiths, were working at the time or things could have been much worse.

Some picked up chairs and at one point even pinned the man to the wall.

A clip from the store's surveillance video is shown. (Victoria Police)

Still, the man was able to smash open three display cases, stealing a Rolex worth around $20,000 – as well as several rings worth thousands of dollars.

Police say the suspect fled the store before officers arrived.

Fortunately, no one was injured, despite it being a full store. On Monday, customers could be seen dropping off flowers at the shop and saying they hoped that the crime didn't convince the business to move away.

The suspect is described as a white man between 20 and 30 years old with a medium build. He has a beard and was wearing a baseball hat, a dark-coloured hoodie, tan pants and black sneakers with white near the soles during the robbery.

He was also carrying a grey backpack and black duffle bag with red straps at the time.

Anyone who recognizes the man or has information on Saturday's robbery is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online.