Violent robbery at jewelry store

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A brutal attack at a Hamilton shopping mall has left one man in hospital. It happened at Eastgate Square just before 9pm. The initial reports suggested shots had been fired, but that may not be the case.

Hamilton police have confirmed that it was an armed robbery at Fine Touch Jewelers, just around the corner from the Sears department store.

Two robbers were involved. One of them is currently in custody while the other is still on the loose and they are combing the area around Eastgate Square in Hamilton’s east end.

We’re hearing from customers, eyewitnesses and employees from the stores that the person in the ambulance is one of the suspected robbers, who was apprehended by the citizens at the jewelry store itself and may have been attacked.

The man in the ambulance could be heard howling loudly in pain, possibly after being beaten up by his own sledgehammer. Paramedics said the man had head, leg and shoulder injuries.

It was a scary situation for the people who were finally able to leave the mall at 10pm — one hour after the mall usually closes. Here’s what some of them had to say.

“Everybody started running saying people got shot. There’s ladies running into Bentley, across from Dairy Queen with their strollers. Then security stared running. But apparently, it was a sledgehammer, the guy got blows to the head but he wasn’t shot though. It was really scary. They made us go into lockdown and go into the back of my store. Nothing’s ever happened at Eastgate before so it was really scary.”

“We heard gunshots. Definitely because we heard it. We saw one of the co-workers or clerks get escorted out in a stretcher.”

“Definitely heard it from down here and then basically, everyone just kind of scattered out. We closed our shop. Security was running, telling us to evacuate if we could, but if not, just barricade ourselves in our store.”

Hamilton police have still been keeping guard of all the exits around the Sears department store here at Eastgate Square.

We saw anywhere between 12 and 15 cruisers here around the 9 o’clock hour. The other suspect is still at large. Hamilton police were around with a tactical unit in the area surrounding the mall and Kenora Avenue.

If you were at the mall at the time and have any further information, police want you to contact them.