Waalwijk jewelry store owners assaulted, tied up in robbery; shot fired

Jeweler Franc Cortenbach on Grotestraat in Waalwijk was robbed on Saturday night. Three perpetrators forced their way into the store and the above home and tied up and assaulted the two owners, according to the police, Brabants Dagblad reports.

The business was closed when the robbers broke in at around 10:00 p.m. But the two owners, who live above the store, were home at the time.

The one owner went to check what was going on when she heard strange noises downstairs. She was suddenly face to face with a masked man, who shoved her to the floor as two other men stepped into the store. While the woman was being tied up, a struggle arose with her husband. One of the robbers fired a gun aimed at the man's face, but no bullet came out, according to the newspaper. The two jewelers were left tied up in their home while the robbers ransacked their jewelry store.

Whether the robbers actually managed to steal anything, is not yet clear. The alarm system went off, filling the business with smoke, and the robbers fled. The police are looking for three strikingly tall men, around 1.9 meters tall. They wore white colored masks at the time of the robbery, and the police believe the fled towards Winterdijk.

The couple who own the jewelry store were not seriously injured, but were left very shaken. They were checked over by paramedics, and then taken to hospital for examination.