Starlight Jewelry Robbery Foiled: Shop Owner Shoots Robber Who Snatched Granddaughter's Necklace

Man Shot While Trying to Rob Rogers Park Jewelry Store: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

An attempted robbery of a jewelry store in Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood was thwarted Monday when the shop's owner shot the alleged culprit in the hand and leg after the man pulled a necklace off the owner's 4-year-old granddaughter's neck.

Starlight Jewelry, located at 2709 W. Devon Ave., was the site of the Monday afternoon robbery.

Musa Thomas, 19, of the 1300 block of South Union Avenue, was charged with armed robbery after he allegedly walked into the shop, took out a gun and demanded the owner -- Georgi Layous, 66 -- turn over cash from the shop's safes, Fox Chicago reports. Thomas has reportedly known the shop's owner for five years.

The safes were empty and the cash register only contained $11, according to CBS Chicago, and Thomas allegedly ripped a necklace that the owner's granddaughter was wearing, apparently out of anger.

Fox reports that Thomas then allegedly fired two shots and Layous told his wife, in Arabic, to get their gun. He proceeded to shot Thomas in the leg.

Layous recounted the incident to the Chicago Tribune:

"He came in with luggage, a schoolbag and said, 'Hi, how are you.' He opened his bag and took the gun out right away. He said, 'I'll kill you.' And he told me to put the money in the bag right away."

Layous added to the Tribune that he is "very, very sorry" for Thomas, who as taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment.