A month later, the same thing happened again.
The Tourneau luxury watch store in the Pentagon City Mall was the scene of yet another dramatic snatch robbery involving a group of robbers armed with hammers and fire extinguishers. The incident follows a nearly similar robbery on Sept. 1 that sparked an ultimately unfounded fear of a gunman and caused an evacuation of the mall.
The latest incident occurred at around 5:40pm today (Saturday). Police officers who were in the mall at the time reported hearing loud noises inside the store, prompting a large law enforcement response.
“We don’t know if shots were fired,” a police officer said on the Arlington police radio channel. “I think it’s going to be Tourneau. Same thing. There’s a lot of smoke here.”
By the time officers arrived at the store a minute later, the suspects had already fled in a black BMW. Videos posted on social media showed a large amount of broken glass, smoke from a fire extinguisher and what appeared to be a sledgehammer.
Paramedics were then called to a watch store where a minor injury was reported, but it’s unclear whether it was directly related to the robbery.
“ACPD responded to a report of shots heard in the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street at approximately 5:40 p.m.,” Arlington County Police said on social media. “After investigation, it was determined that no shots were fired. The incident was a robbery in which four or five suspects smashed a glass display case with a hammer and deployed a fire extinguisher. No injuries were reported.”
“Police continue to investigate at the scene and there is no indication of an ongoing threat,” police said. “If you have any information, please call ACPD’s tip line at 703-228-4180 or (email protected).”
Fashion Center Pentagon City Mall #PentagonCityMall
The same jewelry store that was robbed in September was robbed just a month later in another robbery involving a fire extinguisher and a hammer. The sound was loud, but it wasn’t a gunshot. @STATter911 @RealTimeNews10 pic.twitter.com/YtisY2lDVi— Jacob 🇺🇸 (@RealYaaqob) October 5, 2024
We felt something was happening to them. And we were right there when we heard the sound of glass breaking.
Well, last time we thought it was a gunshot because it sounded like a gunshot, but I was wrong
Tourneau crushed and grabbed in Pentagon City pic.twitter.com/g1xurZsH9T— MΞL (@shychobi) October 5, 2024
The aftermath of the smash and grab in Pentagon City.
I feel sorry for the people who work in Tourneau pic.twitter.com/4BnELvWS68— MΞL (@shychobi) October 5, 2024
Screenshot (above) from @shychobi/X
