article

WASHINGTON – An employee at a Georgetown optician’s store talks exclusively to FOX 5’s Shomari Stone after a masked thief stole more than $30,000 worth of Cartier glasses in a daring midday robbery last month.

The brazen robbery, which took place at Georgetown Optician on Wisconsin Avenue NW, left the employee shaken and temporarily injured after a fire extinguisher attack used to distract her.

D.C. police released surveillance footage showing the suspect, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, mask, dark pants, green shoes and dark sunglasses, entering the store around 12:30 p.m.

The video captures the moment he sprays a fire extinguisher as a distraction before smashing a glass display case with a hammer. In seconds, he fills a bag with 20 pairs of high-end Cartier prescription glasses before running away.

An accomplice, who appears as a security guard, is seen outside wearing tight pants, Nike trainers and a bucket hat.

“It happened so fast and I couldn’t take time to process it,” the employee told FOX 5. She expressed her frustration with the continued targeting of local businesses. The store has experienced similar thefts, with this being at least the third incident in the past two years.

“I don’t understand why he keeps stealing. It’s not fair. It’s really not fair,” she added.

The suspect allegedly left in a dark-colored car.

DC Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Watch the surveillance video below: