The robbery attempt happened at Lewis Jewelers on the Gulf Freeway at Bay Area Boulevard at about 1:30pm. An off-duty officer with the Lakeview Police Department was working security at the store at the time. Several customers and employees were inside the store as well.
Police say a man walked in carrying a black bag, posing as a customer. He approached the officer and sprayed her with pepper spray, causing her to drop to her knees.
The man pulled out a gun and demanded the jewelry cases be opened. The officer at this point recovered, police say, and began firing at the suspect inside the store. As he ran out, she fired at the man outside as well.
The suspect jumped into a silver car and drove off. It's unknown if he was struck. The officer was not hurt, and there were no other serious injuries.
"One of the sales associates who was in there, she got scared when she heard the gunshots," said nearby employee Ashley Luckey. "She ran towards Best Buy. She ran inside. She was covered in blood. I thought she had been punched or shot or something. But she actually fell and busted her lip open. She said was (just feet away) from the person who had the gun who said, 'Give me your money! Give me your money!'"
It's not clear if the suspect got away with any goods. The gun that he displayed in the store was later recovered and determined to be plastic. He remains on the loose. No description of the suspect is available at this time.
