Update: International Plaza Robbers Targeted Rolex Display

The Tampa Police Department is on the hunt for three robbers it says targeted the Mayors jewelry store at International Plaza Tuesday afternoon, causing an all-out active shooter response and evacuation.

A 911 call came in just after 4 p.m. telling law enforcement that the Rolex display at the jewelry store had been targeted by a group of robbers, an email from the department said. Those robbers used a sledgehammer to break through a display. The shattering glass led shoppers inside the mall to believe shots had been fired, the email said.

The department launched an active shooter response after the call came in.

Officers assigned to the mall during the holiday season and nearby patrol units arrived within a minute of the call, the email said. Law enforcement officers from the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Tampa International Airport Police and the Florida Highway Patrol also responded.

Officers evacuated the mall and secured the robbery scene. The closing lasted until about 5:15 p.m.

No one was injured.

Detectives have determined the crime was committed by three men who entered the store, shattered the display and swiped several high-price items. They then took off into the garage and fled in a gray Dodge Ram sport pickup truck. The truck’s grill is also gray in color, but its door handles and running boards are chrome. The bed had a black soft cover over it, police noted in the email.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). Tips may also be submitted online at www.crimestopperstb.com or by texting “CSTB plus your tip” to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).

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Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:56 p.m. Dec. 30 to include the latest information from the Tampa Police Department.