2 suspects accused of O.C. jewelry store heist arrested; 2 at-large

Two Inglewood men were behind bars Thursday on suspicion of taking part in a Mission Viejo jewelry store robbery last month, but two other suspects in the armed heist remain at large.

Devan Devell Howard, 18, and Levon Michael Tippit, 23, were arrested last night after multiple search warrants were served at their residence and elsewhere in Inglewood, according to Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock.

Investigators recovered two stolen handguns and other items suspected of being used in the Oct. 21 robbery at the Fredric H. Rubel jewelry store in the Shops at Mission Viejo mall, Hallock said.

The suspects were being held without bail, according to jail records.

The robbery took place just before 1 p.m. The masked robbers smashed a couple of glass cases and grabbed gems and Rolex watches worth thousands of dollars, Hallock said.

Witnesses reported seeing the robbers dump their loot out the window of the getaway vehicle on the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Costa Mesa area about a half-hour after the heist, Hallock said, noting the watches were equipped with tracking devices.

A good deal of the stolen jewelry was recovered on the side of the freeway, he said.

—City News Service