A still from the video shows the suspects forcing their way into the store with a sledgehammer-like weapon.
PHILIPSBURG—Four robbers targeted the Oro Diamante jewelry store on Front Street in a brazen robbery around 3:00pm on Saturday. In a video taken by a witness, standing at about 100 metres, two men on a scooter, wearing black motor helmets, can be seen using a sledgehammer type weapon to force their way into the store.
In the footage, the scooter can be seen parked in front of the store while the two men are banging on the entrance door. The noise from the break-in alerted nearby business owners, who witnessed the incident unfold.
According to reports, four robbers entered the store and destroyed the display cases and fled the scene in the direction of Oyster Pond with stolen goods.
Central Dispatch of St. Maarten Police Force KPSM received multiple calls about the armed robbery and quickly notified patrols. The suspects were later spotted in the Oyster Pond area. A chase ensued, leading to the arrest of one of the suspects in Coralita on the French side of the island, where French authorities took him into custody.
KPSM is actively investigating this armed robbery, and collaboration with their French counterparts is ongoing as the search for the remaining three suspects continues.
