Tampa police are searching for three suspects who used hammers Tuesday to smash open a case at a jewelry store and took off with $300,000 in Rolex watches.
Authorities are studying surveillance footage from the Mayors Jewelry Store. The suspects were in and out in less than a minute and took about a dozen watches with them, MyFoxTampaBay.com reported.
The smashing of the case sounded similar to gunshots, causing a panic among shoppers at the International Plaza Mall, where the store is located.
The suspects fled through the garage and left the scene in a black Dodge Ram pickup truck.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office told the station that the truck belongs to one of their deputies and was reported stolen from the Brandon Mall earlier Tuesday. Tampa police said in an email to The Associated Press that no one was injured at International Plaza. The mall reopened a little more than an hour after the robbery.
The upscale mall is home to some 200 stores and more than a dozen restaurants. It's close to the Tampa International Airport.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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