2 arrested in Cartier jewelry store smash-and-grab

Two men have been arrested in connection with a brazen daytime heist at a posh Manhattan jewelry store, while other suspects were still being sought, police said Friday.

The men were taken into custody less than a day after five masked robbers wielding hammers stormed the Cartier jewelry store on Fifth Avenue and grabbed 16 watches.

There were shoppers in the store and the neighborhood was filled with pedestrians at the time of the heist, which took place at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The thieves smashed a glass display case to grab the watches, valued at $709,000, police said.

Allen Williams, 35, and Roberto Grant, 33, both of Brooklyn, were charged with robbery Friday, said NYPD spokeswoman Karen Anderson.

Williams also was charged with possession of criminal property.

Police were still seeking the other suspects and reviewing surveillance video from the store.

Officials at Cartier did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

-- Reuters