(NewsInsights.org) – A group of would-be burglars got way more than they bargained for when they attempted to rob a Perfumania location in Antioch, Tennessee, on June 1. According to an eyewitness named Preston, four youths entered the premises at around 3 p.m. wearing hoodies and medical masks. They immediately launched a brazen smash-and-grab operation.
The alleged robbers smashed through glass displays, attempted to break into the cash registers, and grabbed products off of the shelves. Although store workers did initially try to tell the group to leave, their requests were ignored.
According to Preston, that’s when staff determined it was too risky to remain inside. They quickly locked the back exit and fled out the front, securing it behind them.
The thieves were temporarily locked inside with no way to escape, and by then, someone present had already contacted Metro Nashville Police for help. That’s when it became clear that the group inside fully expected to make a run for it with their ill-gotten gains, even if they had to smash their way through the glass on the front door to do it.
A quick-thinking crowd of good Samaritans standing outside foiled their plans. Preston’s mother recorded the bystanders as they worked together to block the front door, stopping the robbers from forcing their way out.
The trapped thieves then tried to break through the rear exit instead. When it failed to budge, they started smashing through the wall directly beside it again.
While it isn’t in the clip, the would-be robbers did manage to escape through the back exit before police arrived. They reportedly jumped the fence and fled up the eastbound side of 1-24, where a traffic camera recorded them climbing into a vehicle and speeding away.
It wasn’t immediately clear just how much inventory the thieves managed to take with them or how much damage they caused. Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Brooke Reese later confirmed that authorities answered a 911 call about a fight in progress at the same time and location but did not specify whether the call was related to the Perfumania robbery.
Preston said the crowd of shoppers seemed “really upset about [the robbery].” “They live in the area,” he explained. “They’re just upset that it happens so often.”
Copyright 2024, NewsInsights.org
