Video shows Santa Monica jewelry store manager fight off would-be robbers armed with sledgehammers

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Saturday, August 17, 2019
Jewelry store manager fights off would-be robbers armed with sledgehammers
A jewelry store owner fought off thieves who tried to rob his store in Santa Monica.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- A jewelry store owner fought off thieves who tried to rob his store in Santa Monica.

Surveillance video shows one of the suspects running into the store, ironically named "Heist," and smashing a display case with a sledgehammer.

The owner intervened and managed to push the armed suspect out of the store.

That's when a second masked suspect hit him in the back with another sledgehammer.

Police say the pair jumped in a getaway car.

The store manager says they didn't take anything.

"They were caught because a guy outside in the Tesla, who is a customer of ours, saw them running up the street so he followed them, followed their car and was on the phone with the police the entire time," the manager said.

Officers eventually tracked down the three suspects and arrested them.

A fourth suspect, who police say missed the getaway car, was also arrested.

Three of them are minors. They are all facing robbery and assault charges.