Video captures Markham, Ont., jeweller fending off robbers with broom handle
Newly released security video shows thwarted October robbery at Markville Shopping Centre
When three young people walked into Jerry Sorani's jewelry store wearing dark hoodies and masks, he knew immediately what they were there for — that's when his instincts kicked in.
"I did not even think about it," he told CBC Toronto, thinking back to the October incident. "I just got up and said, no, it's not going to happen here."
While one of the three intruders took out a hammer and started smashing into a display case, Sorani says he jumped off his work bench, grabbed a plastic broom handle and came out swinging.
First he chased off the two would-be robbers keeping watch by the door. Then, he turned to the one with the hammer, who he struck multiple times before running him off.
"I guess when they saw that, they weren't expecting it either," he said.
The Oct. 3 incident at Jewellery Forever in Markham was captured on security footage that Sorani posted to the store's Instagram account this week.
It's one of an increasing number of smash-and-grab jewelry store robbery attempts reported in the Greater Toronto Area last year.
Jewelry store thefts nearly doubled in York Region in 2024, police say. Police in Toronto say these types of robberies more than doubled last year, while in Peel Region they more than tripled.
A number of high-profile robberies in December, including one in Markville Shopping Centre where Jewellery Forever is located, received lots of media attention last month, but Sorani says jewelry store owners have been increasingly on edge for a year now.
"It's not like before," he said, adding he used to be excited for the Christmas mood and the flurry of customers.
"Now, we just lock the door, we watch everybody coming in and out," he said. "Is it going to happen now? When's it going to happen? Are they casing us?"
He says other jewellers he's spoken with say they now work in fear, and he suspects some might shut down in the next year or so if the trend of robberies continues.
Police advise against fighting back
In the event of a robbery, police recommend that staff don't fight back because it could make the situation worse. But Sorani says he thinks he'd do it again.
"I understand that, because the main thing is safety and not everyone is able to do that. But if you don't ... it's going to keep happening," he said.
Sorani isn't the only jeweller who fought back last year.
An employee at Rani Jewellers northwest of Toronto, used a sword to fend off a robbery in November. And in Montreal, a store owner was injured when he unsuccessfully tried to fight off robbers who smashed a vehicle through his storefront just before Christmas.
Sorani says he feels too often, criminals get away without consequences, and something needs to change for him to feel safe again in his store. He says he now locks his store doors during business hours, a new requirement from his insurance provider.
York Regional Police say none of the three suspects in the Oct. 3 incident have been arrested, but they are continuing to investigate.
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With files from Ali Chiasson