The female co-owner was in the store by herself when the two men stormed in and began ransacking their shelves. The robbery happened at the Gent Jay Jewelry Store on Howard and Schnoor in Madera.
Around 5:30 Friday afternoon, the Gloria Schultz's husband had just left the store to run an errand, leaving her by herself inside. Gloria said moments after her husband drove off the armed men ran in and robbed her.
"My wife told me that they came in, held a gun to her neck, made her get down and they started tearing into the jewelry," owner Steve Schultz said. His wife, Gloria, did not talk with Action News on camera, but she said while one of the crooks began throwing jewelry into a bag the other grabbed the owner's gun from behind the counter.
As the shelves were being cleared, one man told Gloria he would shoot and kill her if she didn't follow their orders. "These people don't care anymore," Steve said. "They're just out to get whatever they can get, it's a shame."
A customer walking into the store ended Gloria's ordeal. When she yelled for help, the robbers ran off.
"The vehicle that they left in was seen parked outside prior to them fleeing," said Madera Police Officer Josiah Arnold.
Witnesses walking outside the store reported seeing the men hop into a brown SUV, possibly a GMC Envoy that had a woman and child inside.
Security cameras inside the store may have captured video of the crime. But, Steve has to wait for his tech support to pull the computer files. "We'll see how good it comes out," Steve said. "Maybe we can get a close enough picture of them to give to police."
