80-year-old Man Attempts to Thwart Bank Robbery

An 80-year-old jewelry store owner in California did the unexpected by physically confronting and chasing down burglars, and all of it was caught on tape.

"I was just trying to protect from them taking what belonged to me. That's it. I don't' think I'm a hero, I'm just trying to defend my property," Chuck Lire, owner of Riverton Jewelers, told ABC News.

The burglary happened on Feb. 2 in Sherman Oaks in the afternoon. Lire says he initially thought the two were customers, but quickly found out he was very wrong.

"I realized it wasn't a customer because he had a hammer in his hand," said Lire.

In the surveillance video, released last night, the burglars smashed the jewelry case and Lire quickly confronted them by attempting to shove them out of the store. Yet, regardless of his efforts, the two suspects were still able to flee the scene with jewelry.

"It all happened in about three minutes," said Lire. "They took about 20 watches, about $80,000."

In his 32 years of owning the jewelry store, Lire said he's never had burglars attempt robbery. He hopes that the six to eight security cameras set up in his shop that took the video will help authorities find the two suspects.

According to KABC, authorities described the first suspect as a Hispanic man between 25 and 30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, and 170 pounds. The second suspect is also believed to be a Hispanic male between 20 to 25 years old, at 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 150 pounds.