Man, 53, accused of smash-and-grab gunpoint robbery of Philadelphia jewelry store
PHILADELPHIA - A 53-year-old man is accused of committing a smash-and-grab robbery at a Philadelphia jewelry store during which police say $120k of jewelry was taken.
Captain Jason Smith announced the arrest of Phu Chin in the July 31 robbery of Cheung's Jewelry on the 900 block of Arch Street.
Investigators believe Chin held a store employee at gunpoint and used an object to smash through a glass display case with 24 karat jewelry inside.
Chin is accused of stealing four trays of jewelry from the smashed case, which police say is an estimated $120k.
Investigators say some pieces of clothing that Chin wore during the robbery were later found by police both inside and outside the store.
Through surveillance footage, police learned that the suspect returned to a nearby parked vehicle registered to Chin following the robbery.
Investigators developed Chin as a suspect and executed a search warrant on Saturday that uncovered handguns and 26.5 pounds of marijuana.
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The stolen jewelry was not recovered during a search of Chin's home, police said.
Smith told reporters that Chin tried to run from police and was quickly placed in custody. He was taken to a nearby for injures sustained during the pursuit, Smith said.
Chin, who authorities say has six prior arrests, has been charged with robbery, aggravated assault, and other crimes.