DOUGLASVILLE, Ga.,None — Douglasville police are on the lookout for four teens who investigators say are part of a larger group that broke into a jewelry store and stole $14,000 worth of merchandise in a matter of seconds.
The smash and grab happened at the Arbor Place Mall shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday.
Police Chief Chris Womack told Channel 2 Action News reporter Erin Coleman that the teens rushed into the Jeweler's Touch store, smashed two jewelry cases with hammers and ran out.
"Right now, we know we have a total of nine suspects. Seven inside the mall, a couple outside," Womack said.
Surveillance video obtained by Channel 2 doesn't show much, but you can see two getaway cars leaving the mall.
Police have arrested five of the nine they said were involved. Two juveniles are behind bars, as well as 18-year-olds Antonio Johnson, Timothy Slaton and 19-year-old Barry Smith Jr. Police said Slaton had warrants out for him from the Atlanta Police Department, and Smith was being monitored.
"When we arrested him, he was already wearing an ankle monitor where he's out on bond on very serious charges in Fulton County," Womack added.
Smith Jr. faces 21 counts of crimes, including aggravated assault and robbery in Fulton County. Sources inside the county said his ankle monitor allowed him to leave home during the day to seek employment. Douglasville police said during that time, that's when he committed the crime. They also say the teens are connected to a well-known gang -- infamous for smash and grabs of jeans in Atlanta.
Shoppers were both stunned and concerned.
"We could have been walking right past it when it happened. That's just unreal," shopper Diana Lamb said. She was in the mall around the same time Saturday when the robbery took place.
"The mall was packed. That's just wild," she said.
Womack said that is what makes the theft so bold. It's also why they want to catch the remaining teens still out there.
"We're putting it on lockdown," he said. "We're not playing out here. And I tell these guys when we lock them up, you're not in Fulton County anymore. This is Douglas County. You're not going nowhere."
WSBTV
