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The New York Times - By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: March 3, 2004
Eight robbers burst into a designer watch store in Midtown yesterday, beat up a security guard and took $400,000 worth of watches and jewelry, the police said.
The robbers pushed through the doors of the store, Audemars Piguet at 40 East 57th Street, at 11:49 a.m., the police said. The men, who the police said were between 20 and 30 years old, hit the guard, a 50-year-old retired police officer, and took his gun. Then they smashed the display cases and grabbed merchandise.
Felix Barrios, who works as a salesman in a clothing store next door, said he ran out to see what had happened after hearing police sirens.
Mr. Barrios, 35, said he saw "a guy, he had blood all over his face."
A spokesman for the watch store, Paul Lerner, said the company had followed proper security procedures. The police said a security camera had recorded the robbery.
"They had security and all the protocol was in place," Mr. Lerner said.
The robbery surprised Mr. Barrios, who said the area, which bristled with security cameras and guards, seemed impenetrable.
"You don't expect it here," he said. "This area is so heavily guarded. Especially in the middle of the day."
The guard's injuries were not serious, according to the police.
In all, the robbers took 10 watches and one ring, the police said. Broken glass was scattered over the store's floor yesterday, and corrugated cardboard covered a glass section of the store's facade.
The store, an outlet of a Swiss manufacturer, opened last year. Arnold Schwarzenegger was present for the opening, according to a news release on the company's Web site.
The New York Times - By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: March 3, 2004
