A man escaped with $400,000 worth of diamonds after holding up a jewelry store owner in a National City mall parking lot.
National City Police say the victim was leaving his business, National Jewelers, in the Plaza Bonita Mall when the man came up from behind at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The robber pushed what the victim believed was a gun into his back and demanded the man empty his pockets.
The victim handed over about $240 in cash from his pockets, but the suspect pressed him, telling the jeweler to give him his jacket, police say.
In his jacket, the victim had a leather sack with about $400,000 worth of loose diamonds, but he complied and gave it to the suspect.
The jeweler told police the man then ordered him to stay in his car and not turn around until he left.
According to investigators, the victim did not see how the thief got away, if he had accomplices or which way he left.
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Cameras in the west side of the parking lot, where the incident happened, were not recording at the time, though they do work, police say, so they are checking businesses for surveillance video.
