A jewelry store in Fashion Valley Mall was robbed at gunpoint Saturday, officials said.
The brazen robbery happened right in front of shoppers around 6:30 p.m. at Royal Maui Jewelers.
San Diego Police Department Lt. Paul Rorrison said a man armed with a gun entered the store, approached one of the sales associates and demanded some jewelry.
Lt. Rorrison said the employee complied and gave the suspect some jewelry.
The exact value of the stolen jewelry was not disclosed, but initial reports indicated that the suspect demanded several high-end watches.
No one was injured, and the armed man fled the scene before police could arrive.
Store employees told officers they saw the suspect walking quickly towards the mall’s east parking lot. According to witness accounts, the man may have fled the mall in a red Honda Civic traveling eastbound on Friars Road.
Police set up a perimeter around the mal following the robbery. They were unable to locate the suspect.
Police said the suspect is described as a white man in his 50s, 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds. He has gray hair and was wearing a brown shirt and khaki pants at the time of the jewelry heist.
The incident is under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the SDPD.
Meanwhile, shoppers at Fashion Valley were stunned by the incident. Some said it was frightening to learn that a man armed with a gun had been walking in the busy mall among so many shoppers.
“It’s very, very scary. It’s not a safe feeling,” Fashion Valley shopper Bailey Garcia told NBC 7. “This is a very busy mall. It’s loaded with all these businesses and anytime someone is doing a robbery that is armed, the threat to the public is very clear.”
