Police: Suspect posed as Amazon deliveryman in armed robbery at Queens jewelry store
NEW YORK -- A brazen trick allowed armed robbers inside a Queens jewelry store.
The heist left a woman injured, and the robbers got away with more than $1 million in merchandise.
Smashed glass is all over the Diamond Collect store in Flushing with empty display cases that, before Wednesday afternoon's heist, were full of rings, necklaces and bracelets.
Surveillance video captures a meticulously planned crime. A man with a jacket that says Amazon on it had a package he left on the ground outside a locked door.
Inside, and alone, was the business owner's mother, who is in her late 70s. Video shows her open the door, having reason to think the coast might be clear, but it was a trick. She was pounced on immediately and violently slammed to the ground.
"They were hiding at the corner," the store owner said. "They use the gun pointed to her head and beat her up ... The bruises are all over her body."
Police shared images of four suspects, saying they got away with jewels worth more than $1 million. Two of the suspects were seen together outside and the other two were in the store.
"We have followed up. We don't believe it's an [Amazon] employee. We believe [the Amazon jacket] was used as a ruse," NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. "They're gonna sell it on the street. They could sell it at pawn shops ... Somebody knows who those people are."
Long before this happened, Diamond Collect put into place a secure operation. Customers can only enter the store if they have an appointment; the door is not open to the public.
"Don't open the door for strangers, and if Amazon or UPS, ask them to drop off the parcel at the ground," the store owner said.
The suspects fled in a black Mercedes sedan.
"I think they probably done this very often. I'm not just the only victim, So they already have their channel to sell and convert it into money, cash," the store owner said.
She says her number one priority is helping her mom recover with counseling to get her over the trauma. She says the store is no longer secure, and it's likely she will move.