Staff members at a family-run jewellers fought back against hammer-wielding raiders who targeted their shop in a brazen daylight attack, the UK media reported.
The dramatic robbery unfolded on Saturday morning in Richmond, west London, as shocked members of the public looked on.
Video footage captured by a witness and widely circulated on social media shows two men using a large hammer to smash through the front window of Gregory & Co jewellers.
After breaking the glass, the pair began scooping valuables into a blue bag from the display area.
In a courageous effort to stop the theft, staff struck the robbers with what looked like a small box – though this had little effect, the London Standard reported.
The attackers then made their escape as stunned witnesses watched.
A worker from a neighbouring business who saw the incident told the Daily Mail the robbers created mayhem during the heist in the upmarket area.
“The two guys appeared out of nowhere carrying a large sledgehammer and a bag. They then started smashing the jewellers window up,” they said.
The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.
The raid marks the latest in a string of similar attacks on jewellery shops throughout London.
Just two days earlier, a group of men struck Sultan Jewellers on Uxbridge Road in Shepherds Bush, using a sledgehammer to break the windows.
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