"Pretend" jewelry customers steal Rolex watch

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two men pretending to be customers of a jewelry store made off with a Rolex watch valued at nearly $30,000, Douglasville police told Channel 2 Action News.

Police say they think they have one of the men in custody -- - and that the thieves are tied to a larger, multi-state crime spree, Channel 2 said.

According to Channel 2, police said the men pretended to be customers at the Jared, the Galleria of Jewelry store at the Arbor Place Mall. They asked to see the watch -- - and then one of the men took off running, Channel 2 said.

“He was accosted by other employees and witnesses. He was able to get away,” Douglasville Police Sgt. Leland Hester told Channel 2.

Police followed the men, who were in a blue minivan, Channel 2 said. The pair eventually stopped the van, got out and ran off, according to Channel 2.

With the help of helicopters and a K-9, investigators combed a wooded area east of Douglasville, Channel 2 said. They caught one of the thieves around 6 p.m. but the other – the man who took the Rolex – got away, WSB Radio reported.