A band of thieves smashed their way into a royal jewellers in central London, making off on mopeds with a valuable haul, police said.
The gang used weapons including an axe and bats to break into Mappin and Webb jewellers on Regent Street, in the heart of London's shopping district.
A trio of thieves stole "a high value of jewellery items" while three accomplices "waited outside on revved-up scooters throughout the raid", London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The force did not give a figure for total losses at Mappin and Webb, where numerous pieces of jewellery run into the tens of thousands of pounds.
The high-end store has been a supplier to the British royal family for more than a century and the company’s master craftsman is the custodian of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
After the raid the mopeds sped off in separate directions, with one racing towards Oxford Street before crashing into a female pedestrian who was not seriously injured.
We know that the group panicked and rode recklessly in different directions to escape. I’d like to appeal to those who saw the individuals involved, either at the scene or fleeing, to get in touch with the police and send us any images and footage that they have.Matt Hollands, Metropolitan Police
One weapon and two of the scooters abandoned after the heist have been seized by the police, but so far, there have been no arrests.
(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT in partnership with #MyRightToBreathe to find a solution to pollution. Send in your suggestions to fit@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)