Las Vegas Robbers Target Jeweler Again, Steal Luxury Watches from Uber Passenger
A jeweler from California this week became the target of another violent robbery in Las Vegas following his exit from a jewelry exhibition.
Raimond Irimescu traveled from Sacramento, Calif., to participate in the International Watch and Jewelry Guild Show at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino on Tuesday, as reported by Las Vegas TV station KVVU.
He was holding a bag of “luxury” watches and was hurrying. Instead of sending the watches back to California or departing with a group, he requested an Uber.
A little while after entering the car, the Uber driver halted at a red light on Paradise Road close to Tropicana Avenue around 5:15 p.m., when a white minivan arrived in front of them and a small SUV came up behind them.
"Four guys get out. They are all wearing black. They have masks on. They all have gloves on. They all have bulletproof vests on,” Irimescu recalled to KVVU.
The robbers neared the Uber and slashed its tires.
Electrocuted by Taser
The thief subsequently broke two car windows with a baseball bat and intimidated both Irimescu and the Uber driver. One of the suspects surprised Irimescu using a stun gun. One more of the bandits was in possession of a firearm.
The thieves then took the bag of watches and escaped the crime scene.
The police did not offer an estimated worth for the lost watches.
Previous Theft
In an interview with KVVU, Irimescu disclosed that he experienced a robbery in Las Vegas in nearly the same way in October 2021.
He attended the same jewelry exhibition, which that year took place at the Tropicana Las Vegas. He departed with his watch bag and entered a Toyota driven by an Uber driver.
The suspects arrived in two different cars. A white minivan obstructed the Uber in front, while an SUV hindered it from behind.
Between four and six bandits then ran up to the car. They were all dressed in black garments, black hooded sweatshirts, gloves, and masks in black and white. One of the thieves had a firearm.
The Uber driver suffered a stab wound to his hand, and Irimescu was concerned for his safety. The perpetrators punctured the Toyota's tires and shattered the vehicle's windows.
Before long, they acquired two bags and a backpack that held the watches.
At that moment, the suspects absconded with $1 million in luxury watches, comprising 40 vintage timepieces from Rolex, Harry Winston, and Patek Philippe, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Rolex was appraised at $95,000.
They took $15,000 in cash and a laptop from the Uber car.
Irimescu, who operates a family-run jewelry shop named Paul’s Watch Repair, filed a lawsuit against Tropicana and Uber for the 2021 theft.
In the lawsuit, he alleges that both Uber and the hotel did not take adequate measures to stop such events from occurring and neglected to guarantee Irimescu’s safety. Neither company opted to provide a comment when the lawsuit was initiated.
The individuals involved in this week's robbery as well as the one from 2021 have not been apprehended. It’s uncertain whether officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) have potential suspects in both cases.
It seems that the robbers specifically aimed at Irimescu in both events.
