CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Employee chases jewelry thieves; crooks pull gun on him



SEATTLE -- Detectives need your help to solve a high-end heist at a local jewelry store.

Olga Afichuk said the two captured on surveillance video took their time acting like customers, spending nearly an hour inside Shubad Jewelers.

“Every other word was bro,” said Olga. “Bro this, bro that, he was like, ‘I need to see this bro, give me that, bro.’ He was referring me as me as bro, to the man as bro, to anyone as bro.”

Olga said one of them flashed a wad of cash, making it seem like he was ready to do business.

“He actually put something on hold so we saw him as a repeat customer even though he hasn't bought something yet,” she said.

The thieves were looking at a solid, 21-karat, handcrafted gold necklace.

“The suspect even has the gall to put it on his neck, walks around for another 5 minutes,” said retired detective Myrle Carner with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. “Then all of a sudden, boom. He bolts for the door.”

In a flash, the crook was out the door with the loot and all the way through the mall with an employee giving chase.

“He chases him out to the parking lot where one of the suspects pulls a gun, points it at him and says, 'Stop following me or I’ll kill ya,'” added Carner.

Cops think the suspects took off in a white pickup truck.

Olga said the $16,000 loss is a huge blow to the businesses.

“This is not a large corporation where something like this gets swept under the table by insurance companies and that's it,” said Olga. “This is taking out of our pay checks; this is taking out of our small business.”

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 for someone who can identify the suspects.

If you know anything about this case, call 1-800-222-TIPS.