On Monday, three armed men robbed Losee Jewelers in Provo on University Parkway and took employees hostage.
Provo police did not disclose how much jewelry was stolen, but it is estimated the men had free reign of the store for an hour, and that they knew what they were doing.
“They came in just before it closed, they swiped the surveillance cameras and tapes so nobody could see who it was,” said Sergeant Matt Siufanua, public affairs officer for the Provo police department.
Siufanua said the men could easily have canvassed the store in advance based on their knowledge and the best trace police have on the suspects is the description given by the victims.
Losee Jewelers employees described the men as being about 5’10” tall with olive complexion, and all wearing winter down jackets — one charcoal, one red and one navy.
The men entered the store one at a time. The first entered around 6:30 p.m. and asked about jewelry, then the second walked inside and the men drew guns. At this point the third man walked in, and the employees were taken to an upstairs room of the jewelry store.
“They said they were tied up, with duct tape over their eyes, their mouth and around their hands, so they couldn’t move,” Siufanua said
Eventually the employees were able to free themselves and call the police, who were still processing the scene Monday night.
“After an hour, they actually left, taking the car keys from one of the victims,” Siufanua said.
The stolen vehicle, which police are asking the public to be on the lookout for, is a black 2011 Jeep Wrangler with license plate Z742YW.
Siufanua said it was unlikely police would release the value of the stolen jewelry.
“It just encourages this kind of behavior if we were to give out amounts,” he said.
Losee Jewelers has been at their current location since 1992.
