Ahmad Fatah says he has barely slept in the last 48 hours.
The Barrie man has been left extremely shaken following a smash-and-grab robbery that may have involved a firearm at Dia Amore Jewellers in Georgian Mall on Monday night that left him with injuries to his head, leg and stomach.
“Honestly, I am home. I couldn’t go outside. I am so scared right now. Anytime something happens, my whole body (starts) shaking, even just to receive a call,” he explained. “Even when my daughter touches me on my back, I jump and I am scared.”
Fatah, whose uncle owns the store, has worked for the business for about 10 years. They also have a location at Bayfield Mall.
According to Barrie police, the robbery took place shortly before 8 p.m. on Aug. 26 and involved four males who smashed through display cases and made away with an unknown amount of jewelry. They exited the Bayfield Street mall and fled in a stolen white SUV.
Fatah says he returned to the store briefly on Tuesday to help assess the damage and, after seeing all of the broken glass, the visit left him near tears.
“My mind is not normal. It’s very scary. It’s very hard for me,” he said.
Fatah says he has a large bump on his head as a result of being attacked by one of the thieves.
“In that situation, I couldn’t do anything. I was shocked. In one blink, the guy jumped on me with the big knife and another guy was with the gun. You never know if this is real or (not). In that moment, you cannot decide anything," he said.
Fatah says the thieves took him to a corner of the store where they continuously yelled at him not to move and ordered him not to look up, while wielding what he says was a gun and a knife.
“They kept hitting me on my belly, on my leg, on my shoulder. I didn’t know at the moment … what happened to me, but after that when I went back yesterday it was very hard for me,” he said. “That scene is in my eyes and in front of me.”
Fatah says he hasn’t slept well since the robbery.
“Last night, I was walking (around) the house. The night it happened, when I came back from the hospital, it was around one in the morning … and the whole night I was walking. I was scared,” he said. “As soon as I closed my eyes, I was feeling someone jumping on me.”
The store only opened a few months ago in Georgian Mall, noted Fatah, adding his cousin is still working to determine what was stolen and the value.
“They took a lot,” he said.
In an email, Terri Andrianopoulos, senior vice-president of people and brand for RioCan REIT, which owns the mall in Barrie's north end, said security was immediately alerted and Barrie police were on the scene within minutes of being called.
"We are relieved to report that no one was injured during the incident," she said.
Due to the ongoing investigation, Andrianopoulos directed further questions to Barrie police.
According to a news release issued Tuesday morning by city police, the robbery involved four suspects who smashed glass display cases and fled in a stolen white SUV.
The investigation remains ongoing and no additional information has been released.
Anyone who may have witnessed the robbery or who may have video footage is asked to contact the investigating officer at [email protected].
Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at www.p3tips.com.
