Round Rock Premium Outlets robbery: Suspects caught on camera

Round Rock PD looking for robbery suspects

Round Rock police are looking for several people who stole jewelry from a store in the outlets. The suspects were caught on camera.

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Several suspects are at large after a robbery at the Round Rock Premium Outlets.

The backstory:

Police said on April 21, around 12:47 p.m., officers responded to a report of a robbery in progress at the Marc Robinson Jewelers at the Round Rock Premium Outlets.

Store employees told police that multiple suspects entered the store carrying hammers and began breaking glass display cases and stealing jewelry.

Police say all the suspects were wearing masks and gloves.

A composite of four suspects caught on viewer video running from the scene of a jewelry store robbery in Round Rock.

A store employee was pepper-sprayed as well as a bystander by the suspects before the suspects fled with a large amount of stolen jewelry.

Police located the vehicle the suspects were described to have fled the area in, abandoned nearby at the 401 Teravista apartment complex. 

The blue Hyundai Sonata was found to have been stolen out of Humble, in the Houston area.

What's next:

The recovered vehicle was taken by police for processing, and the case remains active.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Dwayne Riley at (512) 218-6619.

Local perspective:

"The modus operandi that the FBI and the Jewelers Security Alliance talk about, first, is the mob-style execution of these crimes. You're generally looking at between 10 and 30 masked suspects that charge into the store, sometimes with weapons, but there are massive losses in under 60 seconds. The price of gold has skyrocketed lately and so these crimes are very lucrative. Although gun violence has decreased with smash and grabs, there are still some incidents that still involve violence. A lot of the jewelry is being sent overseas to other countries," International Crime Free Association Executive Director Timothy Zehring said.

Suspects caught on camera in Round Rock outlet robbery

A FOX 7 viewer sent in this video of suspects running from the scene of a robbery at the Marc Robinson Jewelers at the Round Rock Premium Outlets Tuesday.

Zehring said this is preventable. He encourages using layered security.

"Bollards are a great way to prevent people from smashing in. The next thing is shatter-resistant glass and film that you can put over glass even if you don't replace the glass. Think of window tinting on your car. If they put this film on the glass, even if the glass breaks, it holds intact so they can't get in," Zehring said.

He also suggests fogging machines.

"Somebody hits the trigger, and the entire store fills up with fog. You are instantly in a cloud. You can't see the jewelry. You can’t see the people," Zehring said. "That shocks them, they leave."

He said being proactive can save business owners money and keep them and their staff safe.