Two men made a reckless getaway after robbing a Michael Hill jewellery store in New Plymouth today.
They smashed cabinets and took jewellery in a brazen daylight robbery while shocked bystanders on a busy main street looked on.
Police said the Currie St robbery happened just after 12pm.
"Two men have driven a stolen black 2001 Subaru Impreza (registration GAE332) onto the footpath and entered a store," Detective Senior Sergeant Gerard Bouterey said.
"They were armed with hammers and smashed some glass cabinets, taking a number of items of jewellery."
The men then drove the stolen car down the footpath before fleeing down Carrington St, "at one point driving on the wrong side of the road", according to police.
"They then abandoned the vehicle on Carrington St near the Pendarves St intersection," Bouterey said.
"The offenders have not yet been located."
A worker at a North Beach store nearby watched the scary scene unfold.
"They were driving kind of fast away and drove straight through all the café tables and chairs," Laurelle Foster said. "There was a customer of ours who had to get out of the way or she would have been hit."
Police said one of the thieves was wearing a blue Puma hooded top, dark pants and a blue surgical mask.
The other man was wearing a dark coloured top and pants and had, "what appeared to be a dark bandana over his face".
Police added the stolen car used in the robbery was taken from the Merrilands area between midnight and 10.30am today.
Anyone with information on the robbery is urged to contact police on 105.
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