Two men with an AK-47 robbed a Cartier jewellery store near Paris’s Champs-Elysees, then took a woman hostage and hid in a hair salon, before surrendering to police.

The entire drama lasted about two hours. Police recovered a cache of jewels the men had stolen.

One witness inside the Cartier store said the two men, who did not seem “professional”, burst in late on Tuesday and forced the three customers inside and about 10 staff to lie down.

They then demanded that the store’s showcases be opened, but were interrupted as they gathered jewellery by the sound of police sirens.

The suspects fled, taking the store manager hostage. A witness said he saw one of them dressed in a trench coat and a beret, with a towel in one hand and holding the hostage with the other.

“Everyone tried to hide,” said the witness, who gave his name as Vincent; he had been at a nearby restaurant’s terrace.

The two men let their hostage go and fled aboard a scooter while shooting into the air, but later fell and fled on foot before entering the hair salon.

The salon manager was the only person inside and was taken hostage. Around 100 police were mobilised, supported by a helicopter.

“A negotiator was able to quickly enter into contact with them,” Paris prosecutor, Francois Molins, said.

“They agreed somewhat quickly to free the hostage safe and sound, and they turned themselves in.”

Besides the AK-47, they also had a 9mm pistol. The stolen jewellery was recovered inside the hair salon.

“There was lots of money and jewellery that had been well chosen,” the prosecutor said.

A police officer was lightly wounded by a bullet fragment, while one of the suspects was injured in the scooter fall.

AFP