$500,000 Diamonds Stolen Outside Hotel
Oct 23rd, 2009 by Bilal Ali
Jeffersonville police are looking for three people they said robbed a man leaving a Sheraton Hotel in Jeffersonville on Wednesday morning.
Police believe the man was targeted because of what he was carrying inside a backpack– diamonds worth more than $500,000.According to the police report, Barry Lustig, of New York, was leaving the Sheraton Hotel just before 11:30 a.m. when a man jumped out of the bushes and tried to take his backpack.
The report said the man held a knife at Lustig while trying to get the bag. During the struggle, Lustig was pushed to the ground and the man got away with Lustig’s wallet and the backpack full of diamonds.Lustig told police the man took off with two other men in a black sport utility vehicle with no license plate.The men were last seen leaving the parking lot toward Interstate 65.Police believe the men knew Lustig would be carrying the diamonds and that’s why he was attacked.Shawn Frisbee, general manager of the hotel, said staff is taking appropriate security measures.
Frisbee said there have never been any incidents of this nature at the hotel.Police said two of the men were described as Hispanic. The man with the knife was wearing a grey sweatshirt and is believed to be in his mid-20s and was about 5’ 7” tall.Lustig was not able to give a description of the third man in the vehicle.The men were seen driving westbound on Riverside Drive.WLKY News tried to call Lustig for comment, but as of Thursday evening, calls were not returned.Anyone with information should call Jeffersonville police at 812-283-6633.