CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A 911 call recording revealed frantic moments during an armed robbery at Tio Jewelers in Cape Coral, as a woman watched on surveillance cameras while her husband was tied up on the floor inside the business.
The robbery happened Jan. 6 at Tio Jewelers, on Northeast Second Place.
In a 911 call obtained by Fox 4, the woman told dispatchers her husband had just opened the store when two men, who were already inside the store, restrained him.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the 911 call:
“My husband is in our jewelry store, he just opened, and there is two thieves over there, and they have him on the floor,” the caller said. “I just entered on my camera, on the security camera, and they have him on the floor.”
The woman said her husband was sitting on the floor, in the back office of the store while the suspects rummaged through jewelry boxes. She told dispatchers the men were wearing face coverings and that she could see the robbery unfolding in real time.
“He’s sitting on the floor, and there’s two thieves inside of the jewelry store,” she said. “They’re covering their heads with scarves."
At one point, she told the dispatcher her husband’s hands were tied and that he was trying to get help.
“He has his hands tied,” the woman said. “He’s trying to call the police. We have a panic button.”
Listen to the full 911 call here:
The caller later told dispatchers she saw the suspects move toward the back of the store before making a getaway.
When officers arrived and made arrived, Cape Coral police said they discovered a square-shaped hole cut through the bathroom, into a vacant business next door, which investigators believe the suspects used to gain access.
The woman also told dispatchers the business had been targeted before, saying in a previous burglary suspects entered through the ceiling.
Federal court documents obtained by Fox 4 say more than $500,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, including approximately 1,000 pieces of jewelry such as necklaces, rings, watches, bracelets and pendants. The store’s manager also reported that his Breitling wristwatch, valued at about $5,500, was taken.
Sanchez Rivera, the alleged getaway driver, is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by violence, interference with commerce by violence, and using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
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