Police on Thursday circulated surveillance video of a man suspected in the armed robbery of a Zales jewelry store in Culver City and the same man is believed to have struck two jewelry stores in the South Bay.
According to Culver City police, the suspect entered the Zales store at the Westfield Culver City mall about 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26 and asked to see a diamond ring.
“After the clerk removed the ring from the display case, the suspect displayed a handgun that was in his waistband, grabbed the ring and threatened to shoot the clerk if she moved. The suspect then reached over the counter and stole three additional diamond rings before leaving the store,” according to a police statement.
The rings are worth an estimated $17,000, police said.
The same man is suspected of robbing a Kevin Jewelers store in Torrance about 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 23 and a Ben Bridge jewelry store in Redondo Beach about 8:35 p.m. on Feb. 27, police said.
The suspect is described as black, in his late 20s or early 30s, 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build. He also wore white stud earrings, sported a mustache and had a tattoo on the right side of his neck that possibly spells out, “CALI.”
Anyone with information about the suspect or the robberies was urged to contact Culver City police Detective Ryan Thompson at (310) 253-6311 or the department watch commander at (310) 253-6202.
— City News Service