Deputies searching for Woodlands Mall jewelry store robbers

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office released this surveillance photo of a suspect accused in a violent robbery at Helzberg Diamonds, located inside The Woodlands Mall, on Jan. 3, 2017. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office released this surveillance photo of a suspect accused in a violent robbery at Helzberg Diamonds, located inside The Woodlands Mall, on Jan. 3, 2017. Photo: Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Photo: Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Deputies searching for Woodlands Mall jewelry store robbers 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Deputies continued to search Tuesday for two men they say committed a "brazen" robbery at a jewelry store in The Woodlands Mall and injured an innocent bystander in the process Tuesday.

Two men entered the Helzberg Diamonds store in The Woodlands Mall, spray painted security cameras and began to smash the store's displays with hammers, according to Montgomery County Sheriff's Captain Bryan Carlisle. The men made off with an approximate $75,000 worth of jewelry, though Carlisle said they dropped one of the valuables as they fled the store.

Still inside the mall, the two men tried to run across the walkway to the Zales jewelry store, but a shopper coming up the nearby escalators intervened, Carlisle said. However, the crooks hit the man in the face with one of their hammers before fleeing the mall.

"We appreciate the Good Samaritan and what he did today," Carlisle said. "A lot of people wouldn't do that. We want to urge caution for folks, but to know he was willing to step up and slow down what would probably have been a chain of crimes was phenomenal. Our prayers are with him, and we wish him the best."

The man was taken to a nearby hospital in an unknown condition.

The two men left in a Toyota RAV4, Carlisle said, which they dumped on the Woodlands Parkway cloverleaf turnaround just east of Interstate 45 North. From there, the men fled onto Conroe ISD school grounds, which resulted in four Conroe ISD schools in being placed on "lock out" for hours, according to Conroe ISD Communications Director Sarah Blakelock.

Lock out means that classes are still going on as usual on all four campuses, but all outside doors are locked. Blakelock said officials notified parents, and the lockout has since been lifted.

Carlisle said MCSO is adamant that they find the robbers.

"We haven't had any reports in the immediate area of similar crimes," he said. "Hopefully we've thwarted what would have been a spree later on."

At least one witness snapped a photo of the robbers, and detectives are working on getting those photos published. The only description provided was they were two black males.

MCSO deputies and officers with Oak Ridge North and Shenandoah Police Departments responded to search for the men in the area.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call MCSO at 936-760-5876.