Pair rob NYC diamond district jewelry store during Veterans Day Parade

A robber pistol-whipped an employee inside a jewelry store in Manhattan's diamond district Tuesday afternoon as his accomplice stood watch before both fled with cash and merchandise, police said.

The brazen armed heist by the two bandits -- posing as deliverymen -- occurred about 2:30 p.m. on the eighth floor of a 47th Street building while thousands below lined nearby Fifth Avenue for the Veterans Day Parade.

NYPD officers in SWAT gear responded to the robbery at the Watch Standard store at 23 W. 47th St. They shut down a block surrounding the building until about 5:45 p.m., police said, adding that officers also searched for the gunmen in stores along West 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues and on multiple floors.

Tuesday night, both suspects remained on the loose, police said.

The holdup forced the evacuation of customers and workers from the building. They poured outside to a bustling block of midtown already teeming with visitors in the area for the 95th edition of the parade.

One gunman entered the jewelry store wearing a long black trenchcoat over a white button-down shirt, and sporting a goatee, police said.

The man pulled out a gun and grabbed several pieces of jewelry, putting them into a black bag, said Deputy Chief of Detectives William Aubry.

The robber's accomplice, wearing a red cap and zip-up hoodie, waited outside in a hallway, according to police who also said investigators obtained surveillance video showing the gunmen fleeing the building.

A 56-year-old male employee of the store, one of four people inside at the time of the holdup, was pistol-whipped and later treated at the NYPD's Midtown North precinct, police said.

Merchants and employees of neighboring businesses described a chaotic chain of events as employees from the store fled and SWAT officers forced other workers from their shops and offices.

Tony Jabaly, 48, a diamond dealer in the building, said SWAT teams emptied out the place.

"They shout and scream, 'Get out! Get out!' and we just left," Jabaly said.

Justin Ayaz, 21, who works next door to the store that was robbed, said he saw a female run out of Watch Standard frantically yelling about armed men inside.

People inside other buildings were kept there during the search, but police started letting people out around 5 p.m.

With AP