A Jewelry Store Heist Turns Into A Dramatic Chase As Jeweler Tracks Down Suspects In His Pickup

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — A pair of armed robbers had no idea what jeweler they were messing with. For a jewelry store heist turned into a dramatic chase with the owner tracking down the suspects in his pickup truck, according to a press release from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

The incident happened on Dec. 17 around 4:00 p.m. Two men clad in ski masks and dark clothes walked into the Clarkston Jewelry Outlet, located in the 7000 block of Dixie Hwy, and pointed guns at a 20-year-old man and his 51-year-old father, the jewelry store owner.

The suspects demanded all of the jewelry and money in the safe, and reportedly told the father and son to lie on the floor. One suspect reportedly yelled to the other suspect to shoot the father in the back room. The suspect fired a single shot at the father and the shot hit the floor near him, causing an injury to his lower back, according to a police report. The suspect pistol whipped the father in the head before ordering him to open the larger safe.

The suspects then fled with an unknown amount of cash, jewelry and a handgun from the safe. One suspect took off through the front door. The other suspect escaped through the back door. The father then hopped into his pickup truck and a wild chase ensued.

He discovered the suspects in a vehicle at the Lakeview Cemetery and tried blocking the vehicle in. One suspect got out of the car and fired two to three rounds at the father. All missed. The father then rammed his truck into the suspects' vehicle, stopping them dead in their tracks. Both suspects took off on foot through the cemetery - each running in different directions.

One suspect was apprehended by Deputies near the water tower northwest of the intersection of Dixie Hwy and White Lake Rd. Police say he was armed with a loaded Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol and has been identified as a 48-year-old Detroit resident with a lengthy criminal past who is currently on parole.

Meanwhile, the second suspect reportedly ran across frozen Middle Lake. An OCSO K-9 picked up his track on the other side of the lake and followed the scent to a home in the 6000 block of Middle Lake Rd. The suspect had reportedly broke into the home's garage by smashing a window, then stole a 2014 Jeep Cherokee with the keys in it. The homeowners were not home at the time.

An area search was conducted for the Jeep but it was not found.

All of the jewelry and money stolen in the robbery has been recovered. The father was treated and released from McLaren Oakland for a wound to his back from the fragment gunshot, and cuts and bruises sustained during the pistol whipping.

The 48-year-old suspect is in the Oakland County Jail pending criminal charges. Police are searching for the second suspect, and did not provide a description of him. If you have any information, you can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. There is a minimum of a $1,000 cash reward.

The incident remains under investigation and The Sheriff's Computer Crimes Unit is downloading a video of the heist.

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