Three teens charged for armed robbery at Kitchener jewelry store

Three teens were arrested for an armed robbery at a Kitchener jewelry store after witnesses caught and detained the suspects until officers arrived on scene.

Multiple people reported the robbery at Highland Hills Mall at around 5 p.m. Friday.

Waterloo Regional Police said three males went into the jewelry store, used hammers to smash display cases and stole merchandise.

As they were running away witnesses chased after them and held them in a mall hallway until police could take over.

Video of the moments after the robbery were shared with CTV News.

It shows three people, dressed all in black, running away from MT Jewellers & Goldsmiths with hammers in hand.

A separate photo shows people holding down them down on the floor, corroborating the information shared by police.

Photo of witnesses holding down jewelry store robbery suspects in Kitchener. (Submitted)

Investigators said the three suspects arrived at the mall with a fourth person in a SUV that had been stolen in Peel Region two days earlier.

No injuries were reported during the robbery or arrests.

Police said a 15-year-old, 16-year-old and 18-year-old were charged with robbery with a weapon, disguise with intent, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

All three are from Brampton.

Police are still looking for the fourth person, believed to be the driver of the stolen vehicle.

The SUV is described as a black 2024 Jeep Wrangler with the Ontario license plate number CZXZ 122.

While police appreciate the efforts of the bystanders, they advise against getting involved.

“We wouldn’t want anyone to be injured in an incident such as this,” said Const. Melissa Quarrie, a WRPS public information officer. “Individuals who do commit these types of crimes are frequently armed, as they were in this instance. They can be unpredictable, they can be violent. We do want to ensure that everyone is safe.”

Back open for business

MT Jewellers and Goldsmiths closed on Friday and remained closed over the weekend while staff helped clean up the store. The store opened their doors to customers on Monday.

The owner declined to provide his name or an on camera interview but told CTV News what happened Friday night.

According to the owner, he was in the back staff only area helping out a trainee when he saw the suspects entering the store.

"Three masked men all in black came in and started smashing the showcase," the owner told CTV News Monday.

He said the suspects started using a hammer to try and smash through one of the displays but struggled to break through. That's when he ran out from the back of the store telling them to stop.

The owner said the suspects grabbed what they could from the display and tried to run. He then started chasing the suspects, eventually cornering them in a hallway.

"I wasn't thinking. It was happening so I just kind of ran out. Thinking back, it was a stupid decision," he said.

According to the owner, he has some bruised ribs as a result of going after the suspects. There were about five employees in the store at the time of the attempted robbery. The owner's uncle attempted to subdue one of the suspects who was allegedly swinging a hammer. The owner said his uncle is "a little more banged up."

The store has been in business since 1985 and moved to its current location back in 2007. The owner said it's a family business that employs 9 to 10 people.

The owner told CTV News they've dealt with scammers and people stealing things that were on display before, but never to this extent. The owner added that if anything similar should happen again, he will think twice before acting.

"I would definitely just assess the situation," he said.