4 remain in custody as investigation into jewelry store robbery continues, Ann Arbor police say
Ann Arbor police say at least five people participated in a brazen mid-afternoon armed robbery at Schlanderer & Sons jewelry store downtown on Wednesday.
Four men remain in custody today, and police are still working to identify others involved in the heist, Lt. Mark St. Amour said.
No charges have yet been filed against the men in custody.
Three men with handguns walked into the South Main Street business and demanded jewelry at about 2:30 p.m., St. Amour said. They escaped with an undisclosed amount of jewelry.
St. Amour said one of the men was arrested shortly after the robbery when a van crashed on a lawn near West Mosley and Second streets, and multiple people ran.
Police weren't pursuing the van, and it's unclear why it crashed, St. Amour said. Officers found a handgun in the area of the crash, police said.
The other three men were arrested during a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in the area of South Seventh Street and Snyder Avenue, St. Amour said.
Investigators are still working to identify other people involved and piece together what happened, St. Amour said.
At least two people believed to be involved were reportedly seen outside the store Wednesday morning, St. Amour said. He said he could not be more specific.
No one at the store responded to a request for comment today.
Anyone with information can call the police department's tip line at 734-794-6939.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
djm12652
Tue, Aug 17, 2010 : 12:05 p.m.
@actionjackson...bucketheads? How about gun wielding, violent would be murderers...bucketheads? Seriously?
actionjackson
Sat, Aug 14, 2010 : 9:41 a.m.
javavolt> Unfortunately, Ann Arbor is surrounded 360 degrees by expressway making it an easy in and out target for theives...no violent criminals in this case. This is the paragraph that I reread and to me it appears as if you are, in coversation or not, referring to these bucketheads as non-violent. Glad to know that's not what you meant.
djm12652
Fri, Aug 13, 2010 : 9:23 p.m.
@javajolt1...I knew what you meant, and appreciate what you were saying. It's pretty tough knowing the ones they [the cops] arrested are all out now...gonna make sleeping tonight difficult.
javajolt1
Fri, Aug 13, 2010 : 11:07 a.m.
actionjackson Uhhh... Please read my post again... I didn't mean "no violent criminals in this case..." it was conversational..."No. VIOLENT criminals..." I was saying they WERE violent.
djm12652
Fri, Aug 13, 2010 : 9:22 a.m.
@ignatz...he was not walking, but running in a fairly unobstructed sidewalk...javajolt, I understand what you were trying to say....you were saying "thieves...no, [but] violent criminals...and thank you for your kind words.
Ignatz
Fri, Aug 13, 2010 : 8:37 a.m.
djm12652, Perhaps if said thugs tweeted/texted the denizens of fair Ann Arbor whilst escaping. After all, many are busy on their communictation devices to notice anyone else attempting to walk.
actionjackson
Fri, Aug 13, 2010 : 8:08 a.m.
javajolt1> "no violent criminals in this case" If you have ever had a weapon pointed at you it is violent. Whether it goes off or not the mind screams VIOLENCE. Seems to me that Schlanders had a violent physical robbery not too many years ago. I do get what you're saying as far as the gun not being used. These type of criminals (amateurs) are so nervous that all you can hope for is one doesn't fit some pyscopath profile that says...hmmmmmm I wonder if I fire this thing I'll get more response?
Rasputin
Fri, Aug 13, 2010 : 6:59 a.m.
I agree with noneya, I'd like to see the names of the offenders as well as their mugshots (when they are finally charged). Thank goodness the Schlanderer's were not harmed.
noneya
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 9:02 p.m.
Can the community please learn the names of these individuals? It is quite irritating to read these stories and can find info on the alleged criminals.
Gorc
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 7:28 p.m.
Watch the last two potato heads get caught when they try to sell the stolen jewelery to a pawn shop. And the owners of the pawn shop contact the police for a potential reward. Ricebrnr if you are correct with the stolen merchandise being seven Rolexes, they might be lucky to get $3500 for each one. That would equate to less than $25,000 in total to split with the last two pin heads. Committing an armed robbery for a split of $12,000+, and even less when divide by six thieves, is not worth the prison time. Amateur thieves, committing violent felonies, and not one brain cell among them.
KBovenschen
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 4:11 p.m.
In other words, a good thief cases the joint AND plans his getaway! These guys were... not so good.
Forever27
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 2:14 p.m.
They probably crashed because they didn't see the construction at that intersection. There are car-sized holes in the road and if you're fleeing in a panic, during a heavy rain like yesterday, odds are you're not paying too much attention to those sorts of things.
djm12652
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.
@Ignatz....a thug running with a weapon? You and I both would move out of the way...
Ricebrnr
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 1:51 p.m.
Innocent Observer, your difficulty stems from gainfully employed friends who value their jobs. I'm guessing this is not a problem for these goons. Also I was listening to the AAPD on the scanner as these events were developing. I heard 7 Rolexes were taken and the van crashed because they were being chased and they bailed out of the moving van, possibly to make their way to a second vehicle that was reported as suspicious earlier. ANYTIME, ANYWHERE people! Be safe. 1*
David
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 1:50 p.m.
Reservoir Dog wannabies
iCraig
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.
Amazing! I can't get 3 buddies to leave work early to golfing let alone 5 people to help me rob a jewelry store in downtown Ann Arbor. How do you get on that subject, "hey fellas, what do you have planned for next Wednesday afternoon".
Ignatz
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 1:29 p.m.
These folks must not have cased the joint too well. You can barely get down the sidewalk on Main St. that time of day. I wonder if any descriptions of the two who got away will be released soon.
javajolt1
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 : 1:22 p.m.
It is sickening that a beautiful family like the Schlanderer's have to repeatedly deal with crap like this in order to make an honest living in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, Ann Arbor is surrounded 360 degrees by expressway making it an easy in and out target for theives...no violent criminals in this case. It looks like the AAPD were on top of this one and nobody got hurt. Great job. No property is more valuable than a life...but it just makes a shop owner so angry to be violated this way that eventually someone is going to go vigilante and a tragedy may occur. Good for the Schlanderer's for keeping their cool. We get to continue to enjoy everything they've offered this town. At the same time...a little more "Tree town" innocence is lost.