Two men have been charged with a smash and grab robbery at a Stratford jewelry store.
At around 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, four masked people robbed the Paris Jewellers location in the Stratford Mall.
Police said the thieves were in and out of the store in less than a minute.
Video shared with CTV News showed four masked people smashing glass display cases and grabbing fistfuls of jewelry.
Police estimated the cost of the stolen jewelry at more than $100,000.
All four suspects fled the scene in a black four-door sedan – possibly a Chrysler 300 – heading east on Ontario Street.
Stratford police outside the Stratford Mall on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy: Brett Gillespie)
ARRESTS IN NIAGARA FALLS
On Tuesday, Stratford police said two 21-year-old men were arrested in Niagara Falls on Jan. 4 and later identified as suspects in the Paris Jewellers robbery.
According to the Niagara Regional Police Service, officers saw two suspicious men getting into a vehicle with stolen licence plates.
When the men were arrested, police found a loaded 9 mm Luger handgun and stolen jewelry.
Josh Delaney and Donavin Stewart were charged with: possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of a prohibited firearm knowingly not holding a licence, possession of a restricted firearm without a licence, careless storage of a firearm, and unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle.
In Tuesday’s media release, Stratford Police said the jewelry recovered during the Jan. 4 arrest was from the Paris Jewellers robbery.
It has been valued at over $135,000 and was returned to the store.
Police added that “an unknown amount of jewelry remains unrecovered at this time.”
TWO STILL WANTED
Police are still looking for the two other people who were involved in the Stratford Mall robbery.
They have not yet been identified.
Police previously described all four suspects as appearing to be male, about average size and with slim builds. They wore black masks, hoods, gloves and black clothing.
Anyone with information is asked to called Stratford Police or Crime Stoppers.
