Armed robbery in the shopping mall of a large supermarket: broken windows, stolen jewelry, customers and employees shocked by this scene of violence

A robbery took place on Thursday, April 23, 2026, around 9 am, at the opening of the jewelry store in the Auchan shopping center in Béziers. At least one armed man smashed the windows in the store, then stole jewelry before fleeing. Customers were evacuated, and there were no reported casualties.

There was a big scare at the opening of the Auchan hypermarket in Béziers on Thursday morning, April 23. The Océnor boutique, which sells jewelry, was burglarized by at least one man armed with a pump-action rifle, according to witnesses. Some reports mention three men.

Everything happened very quickly. At least one armed man entered the store. He smashed several windows, grabbed the jewelry, and then fled to the parking lot. He reportedly left in a car.

The robbery was captured on film from start to finish by the numerous CCTV cameras inside and outside the store.

Quickly, the security service intervened to evacuate the store and ensure the safety of the customers before the police arrived. There were no reported injuries.

However, employees and customers near the jewelry store and the checkout counters facing it were very scared.

“I was there at that moment, I work as a home assistant and I was there with a lady. It was really scary. There were 3 of them from what I saw, I was so scared. No one was hurt, the poor cashiers were in tears. It broke my heart, but the staff was great and helped me with my beneficiary who has difficulty moving,” wrote Léa.

“The Auchan staff evacuated us through the emergency exits while waiting for the danger to pass. I saw the jewelry store after the robbery because it’s right in front of the checkout counters. Impressive. Everything was broken, I can only imagine the fear of the staff,” said Catherine.

Several reactions and thanks have been posted on social media. Fanny wrote: “My father was there and thanks to the Auchan staff who immediately put people at ease.” “I can confirm, the staff did a great job. Many people were panicking. Thoughts are with the cashiers who were very affected by the situation,” explained Karine.

The judicial police in Montpellier has taken over the investigation. Technical and scientific analyses are ongoing.