Masked armed men robbed the House of Luxury jewellery store shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park before escaping from a nearby dock in a speedboat.
Shots were fired during the incident, but no injuries were reported, police said.
The same store was robbed in a similar manner less than three years ago, prompting government promises to beef up security measures in the pier park.
Though officials had provided few details about the Tuesday robbery as of Beacon press time yesterday afternoon, parts of the incident were caught on camera.
Within minutes, videos of the perpetrators’ escape were circulating widely on social media. One shows two men on a blue-and-white powerboat joined by two others who jumped from the dock armed with what appear to be assault rifles.
Police have reported no arrests, but video footage released later in the afternoon by JTV Channel 55 shows the suspected getaway boat being recovered by the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force near the shore in the Kingstown area.
On the scene
At the pier park in the hours after the robbery, employees from the jeweller and neighbouring businesses watched as police investigated the scene in a large area marked off with yellow tape.
Officers worked inside the store while a small crowd of onlookers watched from across the street.
“This is something very disturbing for us,” a House of Luxury employee, who asked not to be named, told the Beacon.
Other spectators were reluctant to speak to this reporter, but some of them talked quietly among themselves about a continued need for tighter security despite a security audit that followed a similar armed robbery of House of Luxury in July 2023.
Acting Governor David Archer Jr. eventually arrived escorted by two police officers, and he surveyed the crime scene, consulted with investigators and spoke to bystanders.
Later, near the store’s entrance, an officer made notes as she scrutinised the ground around several small cones, which are often used to mark bullet casings.
Jeweller still closed
No cruise ship was docked at the pier park at the time of the robbery, according to information provided by the BVI Ports Authority, but the 3,260-passenger Celebrity Beyond called yesterday as scheduled.
While the House of Luxury remained closed yesterday, other stores had reopened with increased security and police presence.
“The pier park staff is working with the House of Luxury to facilitate repairs to the interior of the store,” said a representative from the pier park, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
The pier park, they added, anticipated House of Luxury reopening by the end of the week.
Previous robbery
In a similarly brazen robbery on July 1, 2023, two masked men made off with almost $300,000 worth of jewellery from the House of Luxury.
Shots were fired then, too, though no injuries were reported.
Three men were eventually charged in connection with the crime, but police have not reported recovering the jewellery.
Following the 2023 robbery, government promised to carry out a security audit at the pier park in order to boost safety.
Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer subsequently said new security measures would include electronic gating systems, increased security presence, and enhancements to the park’s CCTV system.
Cops tight-lipped
Even as videos and other information about this week’s robbery circulated widely in the community, police stayed tight-lipped. As of Beacon press time yesterday afternoon, they had released only a five-sentence statement that provided few details and didn’t identify the business robbed despite multiple requests from the Beacon for more information.
Tortola Pier Park Ltd., however, released a statement yesterday afternoon.
TPPL did not provide details about the robbery, the investigation or its security response, but it described TPPL’s collaboration with police during the 2023 robbery investigation as contributing to the subsequent arrests.
“Following Tuesday’s incident, TPPL has implemented enhanced safety measures across the facility,” the statement added. “For security reasons, these specifics will not be publicly disclosed at this time. However, we reassure tenants, visitors and partners that additional precautions are already in effect and are aligned with best practices for high-traffic commercial and port environments.”
TPPL also touted security measures it said were in place on the day of the robbery.
“As one of the territory’s primary cruise and tourism facilities welcoming over 500,000 guests annually, TPPL operates under robust, layered security protocols,” the statement claimed. “On active cruise ship days, these include restricted vehicular access and coordinated security presence from TPPL, private security partners, and the BVI Ports Authority, whose port security officers manage the waterside perimeter. Although Tuesday was a non-ship day, security and surveillance teams remained fully operational throughout the facility.”
The statement did not explain how the robbers were able to breach those security teams.
Top cop silent
New interim acting Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger, in a statement released today, called the robbery a “brazen act that endangered members of the public.”
“We are dedicating all necessary resources to identify and apprehend those responsible. We urge anyone with information to come forward,” he said.
Attempts to reach Mr. Rymer were not immediately successful.
Mr. Archer has commented publicly as of Beacon press time yesterday afternoon.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is encouraged to contact police at 368- 9339, TPPL said in its statement.
Freeman Rogers contributed reporting to this story.