Bridgeport man charged in daytime smash-and-grab theft at Westport jewelry store

Westport police have now arrested one of the alleged suspects.

Marissa Alter

May 29, 2024, 10:47 PM

Updated 137 days ago

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Dramatic security camera video shows a brazen smash-and-grab theft in the heart of Westport earlier this month, with masked men wielding sledgehammers and smashing display cases at a jewelry store in the middle of the day.
Westport police have now arrested one of the alleged suspects.
Javon Thorbourne, 30, of Bridgeport was charged Wednesday with larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny, criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief for the incident at Lux Bond & Green on May 9. It happened just after 3 p.m. while the store was open. Police said the employees ran to the back room and called 911. The thieves were in and out in just 30 seconds, stealing seven Rolex watches, totaling $100,900, according to Thorbourne’s arrest warrant.
“Immediately after the events occurred on May 9, our detective bureau started working the case,” said Lt. Eric Woods, adding that the investigation included finding of the getaway vehicle—a black BMW sedan with stolen plates. “Through the use of a lot of law enforcement sharing, some search warrants, they identified Javon Thorbourne as one of the parties responsible for the smash-and-grab theft.”
Woods told News 12 those other agencies included Bridgeport police and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Thorbourne’s arrest warrant said a Bridgeport detective got a tip identifying Thorbourne as being in the Lux Bond & Green footage shared by media outlets. The source specifically pointed to one of the suspect’s shoes—black-and-white Nike Dunk low-style sneakers.
A search of Thorbourne’s room on May 16 led police to find those Nike sneakers, along with multiple Rolex tags that matched some of the stolen watches, the warrant said. Police also discovered a black balaclava mask and two pairs of orange work gloves with black epoxy palms, like the suspects wore in the surveillance video. A blue and yellow four-pound sledgehammer that matched the footage was seized as well, according to the warrant.
Police also allegedly found several weapons in Thorbourne’s room and evidence connecting him to other crimes out of Bridgeport. He was arrested that day on charges including criminal possession of a firearm, illegal alteration of a firearm identification mark, violating a criminal protective order, illegal possession of large capacity magazines, burglary, larceny, criminal mischief, strangulation, disorderly conduct. Thorbourne has been in custody since then.
On Thursday, he was brought to Stamford Superior Court, where he was charged and arraigned in the Westport case. The bail commissioner told the court Thorbourne has nine pending cases out of Bridgeport, New Haven, Derby and New Britain, plus 10 convictions and four outstanding warrants. His convictions include assault, disorderly conduct, carrying a pistol without a permit, violation of a protective order, failure to appear and violation of probation.
“He has a conviction for violation of a protective order, which shows his inability to comply with orders of the court. Based on the nature of this arrest, based on the pending cases he has and the multijurisdictional nature of those pending cases, as well as the history of not complying with court orders and failure to appear in court, I’m asking the court to set bond at $750,000,” stated Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning.
Thorbourne’s public defender asked for bond to be $100,000.
Judge Robert Goger set it at $500,000 in this case, noting the seriousness of the crime and calling Thorbourne a “danger to the community.” Bonds in his other cases total $747,500.
“We are confident in the case we've developed against Mr. Thorbourne and hope that he's held accountable,” Woods stated.
Thorbourne is due back in Stamford Superior Court on July 30, but he may face additional charges for other smash-and-grab thefts at jewelry stores around Connecticut. Woods said police believe he and others are part of a group responsible for several since the beginning of the year, including two at the Trumbull Mall and one at the Connecticut Post Mall.
“Their MO for breaking into jewelry stores was during the day while businesses were open. So, there were at least six others in the state that we feel these parties are connected with,” Woods told News 12. He said a recent overnight smash-and-grab at a jewelry store in Darien is not believed to be the same people.
Woods also said police continue to work to identify the other masked man in the Lux Bond & Green case as well as a third person who was driving the getaway car.
“We just want to reassure the community that we work these cases,” Wood said. “And the best thing you can do is what the jewelry store workers did, and that was retreat to the back of the store, do not engage with these parties and call us.”