Suspects in Dearborn jewelry store theft possibly linked to robberies in 2 other states, feds say
(CBS DETROIT) - The FBI is looking for what they call an armed robbery crew who allegedly hit at least four jewelry stores across three states over the past year.
"They told us, 'Don't move. I will shoot you,'" said Ali Alasadi, store owner of Mariam Jewelry.
In August, Alasadi's store was robbed by two people wearing masks. The duo walked into the store with guns and, in seconds, filled up a duffle bag.
"They're wearing like Halloween-style masks, and they do enter into the store with weapons drawn," said Christopher Hess, FBI assistant special agent in charge.
Alasadi and his family ran to grab their guns and shot at the suspects. He tells CBS News Detroit that the thieves almost fled with over $250,000 worth of jewelry.
"He [one of the robbers] jumped from here to down. When he jumped, the gold was all over the ground," he said.
The FBI believes the suspects are part of a broader network accused of similar crimes in Illinois and Missouri.
"We have to consider them armed and dangerous," Hess said.
In the Dearborn robbery, police have arrested one of the masked suspects. Authorities believe the crew could be casing businesses before they strike.
"There may be other individuals either assisting them on the outside or after the fact," Hess said.
Since the incident, Alasadi's jewelry store has spent thousands beefing up security.
"It's very scary to the family; we don't know if they know anything about us, like home addresses," Alasadi said.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information that leads to an arrest.