TUSTIN, CA--(Marketwired - October 04, 2016) - The scene at The Jewelry Exchange was one out of a movie. At 2:30am Tuesday morning, a stolen black Mercedes E350 smashed though the wall of The Jewelry Exchange in Bethesda as part of a jewelry heist. Two male suspects trying to escape with valuable diamonds and gold got away with much less than expected, approximately 15 watches retailing at less than $4,000.
The two suspects intentionally drove the car in reverse through a plate glass window and wall, which resulted in extensive damage to the store. Reversing through the show room destroying many jewelry cases, the vehicle finally came to rest in the store's employee break room. The suspects then exited the vehicle and ran towards a display case where the watches were stored. Golf clubs were used to shatter the secured glass cases.
Mark Doddridge, COO for the Jewelry Exchange states, "In over 40 years of being in business, we have never had a major loss due to burglary because our merchandise is housed in high security vaults at night. We are very glad this happened late at night and nobody was hurt."
The Jewelry Exchange estimates over $100,000 in structural damages and started working on cleaning up the store immediately to re-open their doors within 1 day. The two suspects causing over $150,000 in damages to only get away with less than $1,000 on the private market are still at large. Local authorities are looking for information leading to the capture of these two men. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call Montgomery County police at 240-773-6710. Anonymous tips can be left at Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of $10,000 is being offered.
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