2 Armed Robbery Suspects In Custody After Chase Ends In Crash
DENVER (CBS4) - Thieves stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from store in west Denver on Monday morning and led police on a high-speed across the city before being apprehended.
Police haven't released the suspects' names.
Myong Shin, an employee at the "Q" Jewelry store, said the robbers -- a male and a female -- screamed for employees to get on the floor. Surveillance video shows the female suspect shoving Shin to the ground.
"I just lay down and prayed," she said.
Video shows the robbers frantically emptying the shelves, taking approximately $200,000 worth of diamonds, rings and bracelets in five minutes. The male robber shoved Shin to the ground again before leaving the store.
The store owner, John Chon, said employees hit a silent alarm to alert police.
"It's very scary," Chon told CBS4.
Both robbers were partially in disguise. The male wore a wig made of dreadlocks. The female wore a blond wig.
Officers responded to the store at 7th Avenue and Federal Boulevard just after 11 a.m. That prompted a police chase east of downtown where the suspects' car crashed into a tree at Park Avenue and Glenarm Place.
Police said they forced the car off the road because it was running through intersections at a high rate of speed. The suspects were apprehended following a short foot pursuit.
"We executed a pit maneuver to stop the vehicle, knowing there were armed suspects inside," police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. "Our goal is always safety for the public. These individuals, being armed as they were ... we were concerned."
The accident close Park Avenue briefly.
"Two people jumped out and ran down the alley there and cops were hot in pursuit chasing them," one witness said.
The female suspect may have suffered minor injuries in the crash.