Melbourne police are searching for three masked bandits who robbed a high-end Toorak jewellery store during broad daylight, armed with machetes, baseball bats, a hammer and a gun.
Security footage showed the trio wearing balaclavas barge into the Toorak Road store before brandishing the weapons, smashing cabinets and grabbing handcrafted diamond jewellery.
At one point one of the men aimed a gun at a staff member and ushered him to the back of the business.
The manager refused the thieves' demands to open the safe and managed to chased them out of the store.
"It's a very frightening experience" co-owner Tony Fialides said.
The owners believed the robbers had some knowledge of the shop as the windows were "virtually bullet proof", and they targeted cabinets which were more accessible than others.
"It's puzzling. Are they professional or are they engaged by professionals?" Mr Fialides said.
"The police seem to have an idea about them."
The armed robbery was one of three in Melbourne today.
Victoria Police are also looking for masked men who robbed a Chelsea Heights service station before hitting a fast food restaurant at Carrum Downs.
Thieves 'don't care about getting caught'
He said the robbers did not seem to be deterred by the security cameras dotted along busy shopping strip.
"These people don't care anymore and not enough is happening to them when they get caught" Mr Fialides said.
A worker at a nearby shop said she saw the three men "young and walking fast" stride into the jewellery store.
"I knew something was going to happen so I locked the door."
She heard two bangs and feared they were gunshots.
Police said no shots were fired, and the thieves fled in a waiting parked car.
