Three masked men armed with pepper spray entered a Railroad Square jewelry shop Tuesday and robbed it.
The men smashed glass displays, grabbed the merchandise and ran out of Olde Towne Jewelers on Santa Rosa's Fourth Street, Sgt. David Linscomb said. The robbery was reported at 12:36 p.m.
Several lunchtime shoppers said they watched three men carrying bags burst out of the store and jump into an orange car idling nearby, driven by a fourth person.
The vehicle was described as a late-model orange Dodge Charger and was last seen heading south on Highway 101, Linscomb said.
One Santa Rosa woman had just parked and was walking to lunch when the masked men ran past her.
"They looked me dead in the eyes," she said.
Jewelry store staff quickly ran outside after the robbers, yelling to people to call police and get their license-plate number.
"In broad daylight . . . those guys looked like they knew what they were doing," the shocked woman said.
Santa Rosa police officers were in the store interviewing employees and gathering evidence. A description of the car was spread to neighboring law enforcement.
Anyone with information about the case can call the Santa Rosa police at 543-3590.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: