Armed robbery of Back Bay luxury boutique under investigation; 3 people arrested

The armed robbery of a high-end Boston shop is under investigation.

Smashed glass could be seen all over the place at Audemars Piguet, a luxury watch boutique on Boylston Street.

The store was robbed around 5:45 p.m. Friday, just before closing time.

Store security tells NBC10 Boston that four masked suspects armed with sledgehammers walked in and started smashing display cases.

The scene unfolded in broad daylight in a busy Back Bay on a Friday night. Countless people were out enjoying the summer evening.

"I noticed a large commotion," said Nick Dang, who works in the area. "A lot of people standing in front of the storefront, I looked in, there was glass all over the ground."

The Boston Police Department told NBC10 Boston at least one of the suspects had a gun, but nobody was hurt.

The robbers took off in a red car.

A couple of blocks down Boylston Street near Emerson College, a second crime scene could be seen, where a red Toyota Corolla and a BMW were sealed off by crime tape.

There was one guard in the store at the time, according to store security. The guard was not armed. He said it happened very quickly and he appeared to be extremely shaken up.

The Swiss watchmaker sells watches that can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, even over a million.

"There's a lot of luxury shops here," said Dang. "I suppose that the temptation is always there."

It's unknown how many watches were stolen.

Three of the suspects are in custody. They were identified as 21-year-old Akari Cummings, of Dorchester, 21-year-old Isiah McPherson, of Boston, and 20-year-old Jaydrian Díaz, of Jamaica Plain.

They were charged with armed robbery (chain store), aggravated breaking and entering daytime, resisting arrest and trespassing. McPherson was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, while Cummings was charged with assault and battery on a police officer.

All three are expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.