U.S. Jewelers Targeted in Violent Crimes

(IDEX Online) - The industry has been rocked by the news of two violent crimes against jewelers in Florida and California. 

In the first incident, which took place in Costa Mesa, California on December 4, 65-year-old Pierre Maalouf  left his store, the Diamond and Jewelry Exchange, around 6:30 p.m., and was walking to his car with some merchandise and jewelry. 

He was approached and assaulted by two suspects who choked him before taping his mouth with duct tape, tying his hands and throwing him inside the trunk of his car. They then drove seven miles to a deserted parking lot where the jeweler was found unconscious and covered in blood. 

After dumping the jeweler, the two suspects returned to the store. By the time the police arrived at the shop, the two had fled. 

The Jewelers Security Alliance asks anyone with information to contact them at 212-687-0328 or jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org.

In the second incident, which took place on December 5 in Coral Gables, Florida, a city located close to Miami, two suspects posing as postal workers entered Regents Jewelers. 

After gaining entry, one gunman fired into the floor. The bullet ricocheted and hit a female employee, 67-year-old Liliana Sardi, in the forehead. 

According to the JSA, other shots were fired and a silent holdup alarm was triggered. 

The gunmen, Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Hill, both 41 years old, fled in a truck and then hijacked a UPS truck and abducted the driver. 

A police chase followed leading to a shoot-out in which the UPS driver, the two suspects and the driver of a nearby car were killed. 

JSA says that according to reports, one of the perpetrators had previously been convicted of robbing a jewelry store robbery in Fort Myers, Florida in 2008.