'Take over' style robbery at Cumberland Mall

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating an armed robbery at a jewelry store in Cumberland Mall.

Police continue to search for the getaway SUV after a daring take-over style robbery at a popular metro shopping mall.

The thieves shattered a display cases in a jewelry store and fired weapons inside.

Channel 2's Ross Cavitt talked with customers at Cumberland Mall where the group hit as shoppers were eating lunch, prompting some to run for the exits.

“It was a lot of commotion going on in there, and then I hear, 'Boom, boom.' When I heard, 'Boom, boom,' I was out the back door,” one customer told Cavitt.

Some shoppers and workers scrambled out of the mall during the lunch hour after hearing what they thought were gunshots from the Diamond Solution store. Turns out those booms were likely from the shattering of a display case.

“They smashed on of the display cases and took some of the jewelry, if not all of the jewelry that was in that display case and then fled the scene on foot,” said Alicia Chilton, with the Cobb County Police Department.

The group a half dozen strong, wore masks and marched past shoppers crowding into a restaurant.

With 911 calls of shots fired, police had much of Cumberland Mall surrounded, but quickly learned the group was in and out quickly and had fled in a waiting stolen, white SUV.

“I was really surprised, you know? Especially in broad daylight,” the customer said. %

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The brash robber shocked many at the mall, who would never suspect this during the middle of the day when Cumberland Mall was full of people.

But police told Cavitt the mall, at Interstate 75 and Interstate 285 offers a variety of getaway routes in all directions.

But they know one problem could have made this a more tragic story.

“It’s very concerning. Anybody could have harmed in the incident, but luckily they weren’t,” Chilton said.

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Investigators told Cavitt someone helped police get a license plate number of the getaway SUV.

They know it was stolen, had Alabama tags with the No. 9083 AM4 and was stolen out of Clayton County.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Cobb County police.

Cox Media Group