Shoppers terrified in Melbourne jewellery heist

WESTFIELD shoppers left terrified as crew of balaclava-clad bandits launch brazen smash-and-grab heist on Melbourne jewellery store.

A CREW of robbers are still on the run after a terrifying jewellery heist in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Four balaclava-clad men armed with steel mallets shattered a Mill Park jewellery store’s glass cabinets and stuffed valuables into bags in front of shocked shoppers.

The smash-and-grab took little more than 20 seconds before the balaclava-wearing thieves ran into a waiting four-wheel drive in the car park of the Westfield Plenty Valley in Mill Park about 11.45am.

Terrified shoppers mistook the loud bangs caused by the men’s hammers for gunfire.

“I just went hysterical, people were ducking and diving. We thought they were actually being shot,” witness Sylvia Walker told Nine News.

Robbers smashed displayed with mallets and took all they could in the smash-and-grab. Picture: Kylie Else

Robert Kovacic was in his kiosk outside the Michael Hill jewellers when he heard the bangs of the offenders’ weapons on the glass.

“I just bolted out of my shop and saw these individuals standing at the glass counters helping themselves to the jewellery,” the Mister Minit worker told AAP. “They took what they could, they didn’t have much time. (The staff) were very upset and are very shocked — I think it’ll hit them very soon.”

The bandits escaped to a waiting BMW. Picture: Channel 7

Brave shoppers chased the balaclava-clad men from the store. Picture: Channel 7

The bandits took off in a stolen black BMW four-wheel drive that was waiting in the centre car park. Police later found the vehicle abandoned a few suburbs away in Kingsbury.

Police apprehended a 27-year-old man on Tuesday at 1pm and spoke with him in relation to the robbery.

Police are yet to make an arrest.

— With AAP