Kim Kardashian Held at Gunpoint as Thieves Steal Millions in Jewels
French police have released more details on the armed robbery of Kim Kardashian in Paris, the incident that forced Kanye West to abruptly end a festival-headlining concert Sunday. Thieves reportedly stole over $10 million worth of jewelry in the heist, including a $4.5 million wedding ring, NBC News reports.
According to police sources, five individuals wearing ski masks and dressed as police officers entered the Hotel de Pourtales, a discreet, “no address” hotel often frequented by celebrities. The armed men overpowered the hotel’s overnight watchman and stole his keys, allowing them to enter Kardashian’s room. “Once they were in the building, they tied up the receptionist’s hands,” police spokesman Laurent Riquart told the New York Times. “They went up the stairs and entered her room. They tied up her hands and put a gag in her mouth.”
Two of the armed men burst into Kardashian’s bedroom, pointed a gun at her head and demanded her jewels. After taking a box with approximately $6 million worth of jewels and Kardashian’s ring, the masked men tied up Kardashian with packing tape and left her locked in the bathroom, Reuters reports. They also took a cell phone and Kardashian’s wallet with several credit cards.
It’s unclear whether Kardashian and West’s two children, North and Saint, were in the suite at the time of the robbery, but People reports the children were not involved. After speaking with investigators, Kardashian – who was “badly shaken but physically unharmed,” the reality star’s publicist said in a statement Sunday – boarded a private plane at Le Bourget airport and left Paris.
According to the Times, the men specifically targeted Kardashian, forcing staff to reveal her location. The five men remain at large, with three of them leaving on foot and two by bicycle.
Kardashian was in the French capital, which has seen a rash of high-profile jewel heists in recent months, for Paris Fashion Week. “I condemn the attack Kim Kardashian suffered last night in her hotel,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a statement. “She has my support and will always be welcome here in Paris. I have full confidence that the police force, as part of their investigation, will quickly identify and apprehend the perpetrators of these acts.”
West cut his headlining set at Sunday night’s The Meadows Festival in New York short upon hearing the news. “I’m sorry, there’s a family emergency, I have to stop the show,” West told the crowd.