French Cartier Store Robbed of Jewelry Worth Millions
The store had been robbed numerous times in the past.
— -- Robbers stole jewelry worth millions Tuesday from a Cartier store on the famous beachfront Croisette in Cannes, southern France, authorities told ABC News.
"An armed man wearing a mask entered the store ... and told employees to lie on the ground," the deputy prosecutor of Grasse, France, said, noting that two employees, a customer and a security officer were inside the store that morning. "Two accomplices followed the armed man inside. They did not have apparent weapons."
About 10 minutes later, the three men left the store with two bags full of jewelry, and got into a car where a fourth accomplice was waiting for them, police said. There were no reported injuries.
Authorities have not confirmed the value of what was stolen but it is reportedly estimated at $20 million. Police said they later found the Mercedes car, which had been stolen in March, torched in a nearby neighborhood.
The store had been robbed in 2002, in 2009 and, famously, in 1983 by someone disguised as a tennis player.
The Croisette area has dozens of luxury stores and hotels. One of them near the Cartier store, the luxury Carlton hotel, was hit in July 2013 when $160 million in jewelry was stolen.
The latest incident comes a week before the start of the Cannes Film Festival, where international movie stars are scheduled to walk down the red carpet and attend extravagant parties.