The familiar face behind the "Harold the Jewellery Buyer" commercials was assaulted by a robber on Friday.

The store, located on Bathurst Street near Lawrence Avenue, was robbed by a man who walked into the store and pulled out a nine-millimetre handgun.

Harold Gerstel, the owner of the shop, was assaulted with the handgun and robbed of a quantity of jewelry.

Gerstel confirmed the assault to CP24.

He said he recognized the suspect as he had visited the store a few times before that day.

"I lowered my guard a bit," Gerstel said in an interview from inside his North York shop.

The man told Gerstel he was there to sell some diamond pieces. As the jeweller evaluated the pieces, the man pulled out a gun from his waistband.

"I was shocked," Gerstel said.

His face still bore fresh reminders from Friday's attack. Sporting a black eye and a swollen, bruised forehead where he was pistol-whipped, Gerstel said he wasn't thinking when he leapt for the gun.

"He started banging me on the head with it," he said. "I was bleeding all over the place."

Police say he suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect allegedly left evidence at the scene that allowed investigators to quickly identify him.

On Saturday, police executed a search warrant at a home in Etobicoke where they say they found a handgun.

Khan Facey, a 29-year-old Toronto resident, was charged in connection with the incident.

The suspect is charged with robbery while armed with a firearm, aggravated assault and careless storage of a firearm.

Reward offered

This isn't the first time Gerstel has made headlines.

In 2010, Gerstel was involved in a bitter dispute with a competitor that resulted in criminal charges being laid against one of his employees.

Those charges have since been dropped.

Later that year, his business was destroyed by a firebomb and investigators concluded he had indeed been targeted by an arsonist.

On Tuesday, Gerstel said the investigation into the arson is still ongoing. He offered up a reward up to $50,000 for pertinent information that would help authorities make an arrest in the case.

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