A day after the robbery, the 53-year-old jeweler and father of five children tells his story candidly. “I walk on crutches and have more than 16 stitches in my head. That’s because one of those guys hit my face several times with a sledgehammer.”
The jeweler is a faithful and down-to-earth man. Above all, he is grateful that he is still alive. “I am quite calm under it and the circumstances are going well. I hope I can get out of the hospital soon.”
Intense images
Yesterday afternoon there were two robbers in his shop in broad daylight Kleen Precious Metals, in the center of Katwijk. Several people filmed the robbery. “It was very intense to see those images again. I have never been robbed in all those eight years.”
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There are all kinds of cameras in the store and a special security button with which the access door can be opened from behind the counter. “A colleague gave me a call because he thought it was okay and so I opened the door”, the jeweler says from the hospital.
Mokerhamer
A boy in his twenties burst into the room and started shouting out loud, “This is a robbery.” “He stood in the entrance with a big sledgehammer, his accomplice was waiting outside for a scooter,” says Kleen.
“I grabbed a chair, turned the legs forward and ran towards him. I don’t know why or how, but I went into a survival mode .. I think I wanted to protect my staff too. Luckily they were able to secure themselves in a special walk-in safe. “
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Rough wrestling
A rough struggle with the robber ensued. The second robber then ran in and started swinging a gun in the struggle. “I was on the ground at one point and got hit with the hammer several times. I saw blood coming from my head.”
The other robber tried to load the gun several times. It did not work. Kleen: “In retrospect I realize that that was my salvation. Otherwise it might have turned out very differently.”
After two minutes, the robbers left. “It seemed to take half an hour. My colleagues had called the police in the walk-in safe. I was taken to hospital with screaming sirens.”
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Daniel believes he survived this for a reason. “I am a man of faith and believe that not a hair will fall off my head without the will of my Heavenly Father.”
His faith also allows him to remain calm and strong. “We had coffee together with the staff this morning and talked about it. This afternoon we opened again. I can’t get back to work yet because I have to recover. But as soon as I can, I’ll get back to work.”
Punishment
The jeweler has been buried with flowers and cards all day long. “That compassion really does me good.”
Two suspects, men aged 22 and 27, have been arrested. Police are investigating their involvement in the robbery. “I understand that they are from Amsterdam. Those guys probably don’t realize what they have done at all. I hope they learn from their punishment. It remains incredibly cowardly to do this to someone who wants to earn their money in a fair way. Go find a job yourself. “
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