Two violent thieves who tied up a young employee and stole £50,000 worth of precious gems were taken down by armed cops on the A1.
Ints Dombroskis, 45, of Colley Avenue, and Hudo Ignats, 42, were arrested by cops armed with automatic weapons on the busy highway after walking into the store and threatening the shopkeeper.
The horrifying attack happened at PG Jewellery and Collectables in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, on May 30.
Igats appeared in the shop, wielding a long-handled axe and bound the shopkeeper by her wrists and ankles with duct tape and bungee cord.
She was told ‘Don’t move or I’ll kill you’ before the thieves ransacked the display cases, grabbing watches, rings and necklaces.
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Minutes later, cops found the getaway car, a stolen Vauxhall Astra, torched nearby, but charred clothing and a phone stolen from the jewellers were found inside the vehicle.
Police found the criminals driving on the A1 near Markham Moor junction in Nottinghamshire, ordering them out of the car while pointing automatic weapons at the pair.
Police said they still had the long-handled axe and possibly other weapons.
Both men were arrested for robbery, and three gold chains were recovered from the pocket of Ignats, along with two black bags that were found in the boot.
Both men have been jailed for seven years and four months at Lincoln Crown Court after Dombroskis admitted robbery and Ignats admitted theft, assault and robbery.
The female employee, in her 20s, was tied up in the shop and told officers she thought she was ‘going to die’.
Investigating officer Det Con Katie Munroe said: ‘I cannot begin to comprehend how terrified our victim was, she showed huge courage on that day.’
Sgt Lee Giles, operational firearms commander on the day, said: ‘This was a horrendous crime committed against a completely innocent member of our community merely going about her daily work.’
Earlier this month, two raiders on a moped tried to smash in the door of a Chelsea pawn shop with a sledgehammer before they were engulfed in smoke from the store’s security system.
Dramatic footage on social media showed the pair pull up and start battering the door of Posh Pawn.
As they struggle to gain entry, smoke billows out of the store on Draycott Avenue, which specialises in luxury watches like Rolex and other luxury second-hand items.
The shop is owned by James Constantinou, who has a show about the pre-loved market for valuables called Posh Pawn on Channel 4.
The would-be thieves were wearing balaclavas and helmets for the foiled raid and sped off on their moped before dozens of police were scrambled to the scene.
No one was injured in the incident, and police are on the hunt for the raiders.
Mr Constantinou, 58, who has starred in eight seasons of Posh Pawn in which his shop assesses the value of items brought in by members of the public, told Metro: ‘We have very effective security measures, including Fog Bandit, which releases smoke when the shop is under threat.
‘Our staff reacted brilliantly, and I couldn’t have asked more of them. This is the first time one of my shops has been raided, but it happens regularly to others in London. I think more needs to be done to deter these criminals.’
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