Fresno police are now investigating the holdup that happened last night at 3000 block of West Ashlan.
The owner of KH Jewelers estimates the suspects got away with up to $300,000 worth of gold jewelry. The business is now closed for the week. 16 surveillance cameras were rolling last night at 6 PM when two suspects broke through this window.
Surveillance cameras show a man using a cinder block to break through the glass window. It took two hits and a big push for the masked suspects to finally gain entry Tuesday night. Owner Mahmood Shahid franticly pushes a panic button once they men storm in. Shahid says, "Shoot you, shoot you. I say ok, ok take whatever you want. Don't hurt my family, leave me alone."
As one suspect steals trays full of gold jewelry, another man holds a gun, jumps over the counter and moves toward the owner's family. The owner, his wife and his four children are forced at gunpoint into a backroom. 18-year-old Muhammad Attique feared for his life. Attique says, "We came back and we laid down on the ground. The guy said give me your cell phone. We gave him my cell phone. My dad gave him his cell phone too. He said give me your wallet, give me your wallet."
The suspect points his gun at the family as they turned over their valuables. Afterwards, the man took them to a nearby bathroom when they stayed until the heist was over. An estimated $300, 000 worth of gold jewelry was stolen.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer reviewed the video. Dyer says his officers found the getaway car just a few blocks away. Dyer says, "We found some jewelry that was left in the vehicle and it has been positively matched to some of the jewelry that was taken from the store."
Cameras did get a brief shot of the suspect when he pulled down his mask. Other than that, the owner could not ID the men. Shahid says while thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was stolen, he's thankful his family was not hurt. Shahid says, "My family was ok. That's the main thing. I care about my family much more."
Fresno Police have not arrested anyone in connection to this heist. If they do, the suspects face a range of charges from kidnapping to assault with a deadly weapon.
