WAYZATA, Minn. - Crews are cleaning and boarding up a jewelry store in downtown Wayzata after thieves robbed and trashed the business early Wednesday morning.
Owner Chris Graham of Graham Jewelers at 800 Lake Street East called KARE 11 to report the crime, which was captured on surveillance tape. He says the suspects, three men and one woman, broke through a front window around 3 a.m., smashed a number of glass jewelry cases and escaped with a load of merchandise.
Looking back, Graham believes the suspects were casing his business the day before.
Surveillance tape shows the crooks were in and out in two minutes.
Wayzata police chief Mike Risvold confirms that his officers responded to the store early Wednesday morning, and tells KARE 11 that the heist may be related to a similar crime carried out the morning of November 5 at Shelly Stroch Fine Jewelry, located on the 1200 Wayzata Boulevard East.
Risvold says his investigators are also talking to police in a northern suburb about a crime that could also be related.
A post on the store's Facebook page alerted customers to what happened. It reads:
Graham Jewelers will be closed for the next few days. Our store was burglarized early this morning and we will need a few days to take care of the necessary clean up. We will post on facebook when we re-open and you may pick up any jewelry that you left for repair at that time. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. We look forward to seeing you when we re-open.
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