Armed burglars entered a shopping center on their bikes, and got away in a split second

Nov 6, 2012 15:13 GMT  ·  By

Brent Cross Shopping Center, in north London, in the UK, was hit by armed robbers, today. What's strange about this heist is that the burglars rode motorcycles in the mall, and used axes and bats to smash a jewelry display.

The gang targeted the Fraser Hart jewelry store, going in as the shop opened for business, in the morning, the Telegraph writes. Photographer Rick Treister was shopping in Brent Cross, and managed to capture a shot of two of the members of the gang on their bikes.

"I just grabbed my camera phone and managed to get one picture. The guy on the front bike shouted something at me when he went past," he said.

Police reported six suspects, traveling on three motorcycles, that got away with jewelry and Cartier and Rolex watches.

"Watches were just dropping off the motorbikes as they went. They accelerated away and I don’t know where they went after that," the photographer added.

"The whole place was going mad. The women in John Lewis were screaming and the man in the jewelry store ran out after the robbers," he said, describing the scene.

No customer or shopping mall employee was injured during the heist; however, a senior citizen went into shock and had to be attended to by emergency personnel. As the suspects wore helmets, bystanders couldn't identify them.

Their bikes were found abandoned near a Mill Hill golf course, 15 minutes after. Police are asking witnesses to the incident to come forward with information on the burglars.

"We are appealing to anyone who may have seen the sequence of events at the shopping center, which had only just opened its doors to its first shoppers only moments before, and to anyone who may have seen the three motorbikes being driven from Brent Cross to Mill Hill," detective Superintendent Mark Strugnell said.