Crime & Safety

911 Report of Shots Fired a Ruse in High-End Watch Smash-and-Grab: Police

The suspects used a sledgehammer to smash a display case at Saks Fifth Avenue in Oakland Mall, police said.

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Beth Dalbey, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

TROY, MI — A plan to distract police by calling calling 911 with a report of shots fired at Oakland Mall backfired on three people police accuse of stealing more than $30,000 in Cartier watches from Saks Fifth Avenue in Troy.

After police were called to the supposed location of the gunfire Wednesday, they received another report of a smash-and grab robbery at the Saks store, according to WDIV-TV. Police then realized the first call that took them to the opposite side of the mall was a ruse.

Police said one of the suspects, all of whom are now in custody, used a sledgehammer to smash the glass counter of a display case, then used it to hit a security officer when he tried to intervene. A second suspect grabbed three watches, which were valued at $26,000, $7,000 and $5,000, police said.

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One suspect was taken into custody by mall and store security officers after a short foot chase. The other two fled the mall in separate cars, but they were apprehended in a nearby neighborhood after a short chase.

Two of the stolen watches were recovered. It's unclear if one of them was the $26,000 timepiece.

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