It could have been a scene from a gangster movie, one shop worker said.
And passers-by who witnessed this robbery in London yesterday certainly treated it like one.
While self-preservation may have stopped them from intervening, they weren't too scared to stand there and enjoy the show.
One older gentleman was so unconcerned (or so oblivious) that he strolled right past the motorbike riding gang breaking into the branch of jewellers Mappin & Webb at 11.20am.
The store's staff were probably a little more concerned as the robbers, still wearing their helmets, smashed the window on Old Bond Street. Luckily, no one was hurt.
The gang grabbed tens of thousands of pounds worth of loot, and then roared away.
There were claims that police officers took 25 minutes to arrive on the scene, giving the robbers plenty of time. Witness Petra Remias, 25, who works in a shop opposite said: 'The men started banging on the window with a huge hammer - it made a horrible noise.
'It was like a gangster movie. People in the street started gathering around in a semi-circle to watch.
'The raid lasted between five and ten minutes, it wasn't quick.'
Gemma Flitton, 29, works in the Ralph Lauren showroom above Mappin & Webb. She said: 'It felt like an earthquake.
'We could feel the sledgehammer blows as they vibrated through our floor.
'It was extraordinary because there were dozens of people watching and taking pictures. At least 60 people were on the pavement opposite.'
Mappin & Webb has proved a popular target for smash-and-grab gangs. The same branch on the junction with Piccadilly suffered a similar raid last year.
And the Regent Street store was raided three times in 2008. In one attack a Vauxhall Vectra was driven through the front doors.
In 2006, two teenagers were jailed after stealing £26,000 of goods from Mappin & Webb in Fenchurch Street A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Westminster CID are investigating. We have not been informed of any injuries.'
The spokesman rejected claims that it took officers 25 minutes to reach the scene, saying they attended within two minutes of receiving the call.
Forensic officers yesterday refused to say what was taken from the store and what it was worth.
A spokesman for Mappin & Webb declined to comment. The chain acts as silversmith to the Queen and Prince Charles.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: 'At 11.17 police were called by a member of the public reporting a robbery in progress at Mappin and Webb, Old Bond Street, officers were immediately despatched.
'A call was also received at 11.18 by a PCSO who was in the area and had begun pursuing the suspects on foot as they made off down Pall Mall.
'At 11.20 details of bikes were despatched over the radio and at 11.21 the officers in the response car were pursuing the suspects in the direction of Duke Street. Air support was also in attendance.
'Officers lost sight of the suspects in Wimbourne Street and returned to the scene at Mappin and Webb, arriving at 11.36. During this time a number of PCSOs had already attended the scene at Mappin and Webb.'
Crime show: Four robbers break into a central London jewellery store as another stands guard, while witnesses simply watch or stroll past
Broad daylight: A gang member smashes the glass and then leans in to snatch fistfuls of gems and watches worth at least £50,000 each
Brazen: A forensic officer gathers evidence at the site where the gang member smashed through the glass
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