Theft from jewelry store likely in the thousands of dollars

ROCK HILL, S.C. — An alarm sounded at 4:30 a.m. Friday at Brownlee Jewelers at the Manchester Village Shopping Center in Rock Hill.

Surveillance video shows three people in dark clothes, wearing hoodies and gloves, ransacking the shop. They smashed display cases with a crow bar, went through drawers, and later took several boxes of rings and other jewelry.

Channel 9 was there Friday morning when crews replaced the back door at Brownlee Jewelers. There is heavy damage to the old door, and deep gouges in the cement wall from the crow bar.

The thieves did a lot of damage, but couldn't get in the back door, so eventually they just shattered the front door facing Dave Lyle Boulevard. That tripped the burglar alarm.

Executive officer Mark Bollinger said they left a mess behind.

"It was pretty sloppy. They dropped jewelry like the whole way out on their way out," he said.

Next door, Summer Alexander works at TCBY. She said knowing what happened to her neighbors, is frightening.

"It's scary. It worries me that it could happen to me just being here when I'm here late at night by myself," Alexander said.

Rock hill police believe someone likely saw a car racing away toward the interstate, unaware of what had happened.

So far, no witnesses have come forward.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police told Channel 9 a Brownlee Jewelers on University City Boulevard was also broken into just five days ago.

It's not clear yet if the two crimes are linked.

The manager at Brownlee did not want to comment about the incident.

WSOC