Shocking moment chain-wielding thief smashes his way into Chicago jewelry store

Surveillance video captured the shocking moment a would-be thief tried to smash his way into a Chicago jewelry store with a heavy metal chain – but instead came face-to-face with the barrel of a gun. 

The attempted smash-and-grab happened just before 1 a.m. Friday at The Jewels of Chicago on East Madison Street on Jewelers Row. 

Footage obtained by CBS 2 shows the man in a blue puffy coat with the hood pulled up lurking around outside the store. He waits as people walk past before peeking into the window. 

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Footage obtained by CBS 2 shows the man in a blue puffy coat with the hood pulled up lurking around outside the store

The man waits as people walk past before peeking into the window of the jewelry store

The man waits as people walk past before peeking into the window of the jewelry store

He leaves for a brief second and comes back with a heavy metal chain, which he launches at the glass door shattering one of the panels

He leaves for a brief second and comes back with a heavy metal chain, which he launches at the glass door shattering one of the panels

The prepares to heave the metal chain at the door again, but instead came face to face with the manager of the building pointing a gun in his direction

The prepares to heave the metal chain at the door again, but instead came face to face with the manager of the building pointing a gun in his direction 

He leaves for a brief second and comes back with a heavy metal chain, which he launches at the glass door shattering one of the panels. 

Jason Quach, who manages the building, told CBS 2 that the man stepped back and appeared to be checking to see if he would hear an alarm. He was in the office and heard the commotion. 

‘I don’t think he expected anyone to be inside,’ Quach said. 

Jason Quach, who manages the building, was in the office when he heard the commotion

Jason Quach, who manages the building, was in the office when he heard the commotion

'For me, this store is bread and butter,' said Qadar Mohammed, president and owner of The Jewels of Chicago, told CBS2

‘For me, this store is bread and butter,’ said Qadar Mohammed, president and owner of The Jewels of Chicago, told CBS2 

The door to the jewelry store is now boarded up after a would-be thief tried to smash his way in

The door to the jewelry store is now boarded up after a would-be thief tried to smash his way in

The attempted smash and grab happened just before 1 a.m. Friday at The Jewels of Chicago, on East Madison Street, on Jewelers Row

The attempted smash and grab happened just before 1 a.m. Friday at The Jewels of Chicago, on East Madison Street, on Jewelers Row

When no alarm goes off, the man prepares to heave the metal chain at the door again. But before he could break the second panel of glass, Quach came running at him with his gun pointed. 

‘I didn’t get a chance to say anything to him. The moment he saw me come out with my firearm drawn, he quickly ran away,’ Quach told CBS 2, ‘and I just heard, ”No, no, no.”’

Quach said he was ready to fire a shot if he needed to, but no shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

The identity of the would-be thief is unknown. 

As of Friday evening, the store was still boarded up.  

‘For me, this store is bread and butter,’ said Qadar Mohammed, president and owner of The Jewels of Chicago, told CBS2.    

The Jewels Of Chicago is a family owned business since 2010. 

The Jewels of Chicago remains boarded up after a thief smashed the door (pictured) early Friday, but was thwarted by the building manager

The Jewels of Chicago remains boarded up after a thief smashed the door (pictured) early Friday, but was thwarted by the building manager 

Jewels fill cases at the store on Chicago's Jewelry Row

Jewels fill cases at the store on Chicago’s Jewelry Row 

Chicago’s busy shopping districts have become the epicenter of smash-and-grab robberies, with roving bands of youths swarming luxury stores, grabbing merchandise and fleeing.

A Burberry store on Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile has been repeatedly targeted by brazen smash-and-grab robbers between November and January. 

Burberry is not the only business in Chicago to have been ransacked by organized smash-and-grab gangs.

In November, more than a dozen people rushed into a Louis Vuitton store in the Chicago suburb of Oakbrook and stole $120,000 worth of items, which they were seen on surveillance video hauling away in garbage bags.  

In December, a pair of thieves entered Gold Coast Auto Gallery, smashed display cases and made out with a $1million worth of high-end watches.

Days later, police said a 16-year-old girl robbed the Niketown and Zara stores on North Michigan Avenue and used a Taser on a security guard. She was later arrested.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in September that large-scale store thefts orchestrated by organized crime rings are costing retailers across the US an estimated $45billion in annual losses.

Raoul has formed the Organized Retail Crime Task Force comprised of public and private entities to tackle the problem head on.

‘These brazen, violent crimes are committed by sophisticated criminal organizations that are involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking and other serious crimes,’ Raoul said at the time. 

A similar trend has been seen in other large American cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, which have progressive district attorneys and lenient punishments for non-violent offenses, such as retail crime.