Police have released video footage showing a brazen smash-and-grab style robbery at a Stratford jewelry store that they say unfolded over the course of less than one minute.
It happened just after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Paris Jewellers inside the Stratford Mall.
Police say that four suspects entered the mall and headed straight for the jewelry store.
In the nine seconds of footage released by police, two of the suspects can be seen smashing display cases in the centre of the store while two others break the glass to additional display cases at the rear of the store.
At least two of the suspects are also seen stuffing stolen goods into bags.
In a news release issued on Thursday, the Stratford Police Service said that the suspects were “in and out of the store in less than one minute” and are believed to have stolen more than $100,000 worth of goods.
Police say that two workers were inside the store at the time of the robbery but were not physically injured.
The suspects were last seen in a black, four-door sedan, believed to be a Chrysler 300, according to police.
The robbery is just the latest in a series of similarly brazen incidents that have occurred across southern Ontario in recent weeks, often targeting jewelry stores.
On Dec. 8, Peel police confirmed that officers were investigating a second smash-and-grab style robbery at a store in a Brampton mall, approximately a month after the first occurrence.
There was also another smash-and-grab style robbery at a Cartier store in the Yorkdale Mall on Dec. 5.
It is not known if there is any connection between the recent incidents.
Police say that the suspects in the Stratford robbery were all completely covered in black clothing, including gloves, masks and hoodies.
