Fake gun leads to foiled robbery as quick-thinking Hong Kong jewellery store staff subdue suspect in Mong Kok
- The attempted robbery of HK$1 million in gold took about two minutes, just long enough for staff to realise the suspect’s gun was not real
- One staff member was bitten on the hand during a struggle outside the shop
A man who attempted to rob a jewellery store with a fake gun on Thursday fooled precisely no one – at least not for long – as three staff chased him down on the street and recovered more than HK$1 million (US$129,000) in gold.
The 52-year-old suspect, wearing a face mask and carrying a nylon bag, walked into the Mong Kok branch of Luk Fook Jewellery store on Argyle Street soon after 11.15am and quickly went to work.
“He poured volatile solution [suspected to be paint thinner] from a bottle on a display counter in front of two female employees and then drew what appeared to be a handgun, declared it was a robbery and ordered staff to hand over the jewellery,” Chief Inspector Ng Tak-nam of the Mong Kok police station’s crime unit said.
Momentarily stunned, the staff watched as the suspect rapidly shoved gold into his bag, then ran out of the shop. The two minutes it took for the robbery to unfold was just enough time for the staff to reach a conclusion – the gun was not real.
“Three staff decided the weapon looked like a toy gun and gave chase immediately,” Ng said.