Sonoma Plaza jewelry store robbed at gunpoint

Two men walked into a Sonoma jewelry store Thursday, handcuffed an employee at gunpoint and made off with an undetermined amount of jewelry, police said.

The armed robbery occurred around 4 p.m. at Studio Collections, a boutique jewelry shop on the 100 block of East Napa Street just off the Sonoma Plaza, according to a statement by the Sheriff’s Office.

The employee was in a back room when the two men in their 20s or 30s entered the store, the Sheriff’s Office said. She told the men she would be right with them but they grabbed her, pushed her to the floor and put her in handcuffs.

One man stayed by the employee while the other ransacked the store stealing jewelry, said Sonoma Police Sgt. Jason Craver. The men fled through a back door and were seen running east through a parking lot.

The store owner must take a full inventory to determine the value of the heist, Craver said. The employee was not injured, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.