Ontario jewelry store owner fights thieves with a broom: “I’ve never seen anything like it”

Jerry Sorani says he came to Canada from Iraq as a refugee 30 years ago in search of a better life.

However, a rise in vehicle thefts, robberies and home invasions in the Greater Toronto Area has left him concerned about the future of the country he now calls home.

decided to share surveillance video of an attempted robbery with violence in his Markham “Jewellery Forever” jewelry story on Instagram two days ago with the caption “The only jeweler who held his own in GTA.”

Sorani says she didn’t want the thieves to get away with it and at that moment she decided to intervene.

In the surveillance video, three people wearing hoodies and masks enter his store in Markville Shopping Center before starting to smash a glass display case full of jewelry with a hammer. Sorani then comes out from behind the counter, brandishing a broom and punching one of the suspects four times in the shoulder. The three suspects quickly leave the business and flee.

The incident occurred around 8 pm on October 3.

The video has since gone viral. On Instagram, one person said: “It’s risky of you to defend yourself with a weak weapon! He was lucky and brave to do this! Another wrote: “They could have killed him. A broomstick versus a mallet? Very brave store owner.”

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Sorani says he wasn’t afraid of the robbers, but feared he would have been charged with assault for fighting back. “That’s why I didn’t try to hurt them at all,” he said.

He said when police arrived, officers asked to see the video, but did not charge him.

He also firmly believes that if he had not interfered in the robbery, the violence would continue.

“It’s not just about businesses, cars, home invasions and soon it will be like that, even if you’re walking down the street and you’re wearing something a little flashy, you might get stopped for it,” he explains.

Const. James Dickson with York Regional Police told Global News the investigation into the attempted robbery continues and no arrests have been made.

Two months after Sorani’s store was attacked, another jewelry store at Markville Mall was robbed.

That incident took place shortly after noon on December 4, when police responded to a commercial robbery at Lukfook Jewelers. Cellphone video captured a dozen people in hoodies and masks kicking in the windows and doors of the business, before filling shopping bags with valuables and running away.

Dickson said about 10 people are in custody in that case. But police say it does not appear to be related to the robbery at Sorani’s store two months earlier.

Dickson also recommended that robbery victims not intervene.

“Any incident where a robbery occurs, whether it’s a car theft, a home invasion, a financial institution or a business robbery, our advice is the same,” he said.

“Prioritize your personal safety. This is the most important thing to do. You never know what someone is capable of or what they are willing to do. “Any physical altercation can sometimes lead to an escalation of violence.”

Last year, 14 jewelry stores were targeted by thieves in York Region, up from seven in 2023. Police say they are concerned about the increase and say they are working with security companies at shopping centers in an effort to deter the crime.

Sorani’s store is now permanently closed, even when it is open.

“I’ve been doing this for the last 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “Never keep my door closed. It’s sad to see him like this.”

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