FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Police released surveillance video showing two men rob a TJ Maxx store in Fort Lauderdale.
The robbery happened at the department store in the Coral Ridge Mall, located at 3120 N. Federal Highway, about 1 p.m. Tuesday.
"They looked like they were posing as customers," said Fort Lauderdale Police Det. Deanna Garcia. "They walked around the department store. A couple of the managers and employees became a little suspicious of their behavior because they thought maybe they were going to be shoplifters. Well, unbeknownst to them, it was going to be much more than that."
After walking into the store, one of the men approached the manager, told him he had a gun, and asked to be shown to the safe, say police. Another manager saw the two and walked towards them. The robber then pulled out a handgun and asked the second manager to take him to the safe.
"They knew exactly what they were coming in for. They knew to canvas around -- see how crowded the store was -- and then they knew to tell them, 'This is what you're going to do, this is why you're going to do it,' and then they committed the act," said Garcia.
The second armed robbery went into the office and told another employee to keep quiet during the robbery, say police.
Once the safe was opened, the men grabbed the bank deposit bags and ran off, say police.
"The two suspects then ran out of the door on the west side of the business to a getaway car that was waiting for them," said Garcia.
Police believe the men left in a newer model, red, four-door Kia with a possible tag ending in 143.
The first robber is described as being in his 20s, 5 feet 7 inches tall, and having a thin build. He was last seen wearing eye glasses, a dress shirt, a tie, and a black baseball cap with large yellow letters that read "BOSTON."
The second robber is described as being in his 20s, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, and having a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black knit hat and black clothing.
The driver is described as being in his 20s, 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, bald and having a heavy build.
"Typically, when you have someone that tries to disguise themselves, you're not going to see them walking around with that mask on their face just on their every day travels in the community," said Garcia, "but you're going to be able to remember seeing someone wearing that baseball cap. You're going to remember seeing the block, yellow letters across the top of it that said 'Boston.'"
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call police at 954-828-6093.