Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Video shows jewelry store owner pummeling ‘stupid guy’
Police call him a robber but Hollywood jeweler Daniel Setton calls the man — who walked into his business and tried to take a gold chain — a disgruntled customer.
“It wasn’t a robbery,” he said. “He was just a stupid, a stupid guy.”
Surveillance video released Wednesday showed the man strolling into DHS Oakwood Jewelers at 2897 Stirling Road about 2:30 p.m. on March 2 and casually walking behind the counter.
“He bought a chain here, two or three months ago, and it broke and I said, ‘No problem, we’ll fix it for you,’” Setton said. “But he said, ‘No, I want a new one,’ and, ‘If you don’t give it to me I’ll take it myself.’”
He is seen going over to the display cases where the gold chains are kept, but the 74-year-old store owner cuts him off and gives him a lesson in Krav Maga, the martial arts Setton learned while in the Israeli Army.
“I didn’t expect I would have to use it one day,” Setton said, with a laugh. “But, what are you going to do? You have to protect your business. He didn’t give me another choice.”
Setton is joined by his wife and two employees who are able to fight off the man and prevent him from taking any jewelry. As punches are thrown, Setton’s wife is seen swinging a yard stick.
“My wife, she was hitting me more than she was hitting him,” he said, laughing. “I was screaming, ‘Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.’”
The man seems to be subdued and confused as he leaves the restricted area behind the display cases.
He grabs his broken chain from the counter, walks out the front door of the business, and drives off in a graycolored Honda, the videos showed.
Setton said his store was robbed of nearly $100,000 worth of jewelry Feb. 19, about 15 minutes before he arrived to work. Had he been there, he would have done the same thing.
“Listen, when you learn [Krav Maga], you do it so many times you cannot forget it,” he said. “It comes back to you automatically like you’re riding a bicycle.”
In this latest case, the man had large, multi-colored tattoos covering each upperarm and shoulder and wore a colorful baseball-style cap and a light blue tank top with a green and white Rick and Morty cartoon on the front. He was also carrying glasses and wearing a red ‘Supreme’ shoulder-bag with a long red and white strap.
Investigators are hoping someone will recognize and report the man in the video to Hollywood police at 954764-4357 or 954-967-4411, or via e-mail or text to hollywoodpdtips@hollywoodfl.org.
Anonymous tips can be given to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at browardcrimestoppers.org.