On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the suspect entered Don Roberto Jewelers on the 1600 block of West 17th Street at about 1:20 p.m. The suspect, who was the only customer in the store at the time, spoke to the sales person as if he was interested in buying a ring.
The clerk showed the suspect several rings one at a time for about 10 minutes. After carefully inspecting the rings, the suspect pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun from his waistband.
The suspect then ordered the clerk to step away from the jewelry case and removed several rings from the display. He then left the store and fled eastbound on 17th Street.
The armed robbery has police very concerned that the suspect could commit a similar crime again.
"The guy took his time. It was approximately 10 minutes he sat and looked, tried to convince the clerk to bring out more than one item at a time, which is against their policy. Then, he removed his handgun, forcefully took the items and then fled the scene," said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna with the Santa Ana Police Department.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male about 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 130 to 150 pounds, with a medium complexion and dark hair. He was seen wearing a black baseball cap with a white bill and white lettering on the front, a blue long-sleeve button-up shirt, blue jeans and black and white tennis shoes.
The suspect also has a tattoo of unknown wording on his neck, three dots on the web of his left hand, unknown lettering on his right middle finger and unknown lettering on his right ring finger.
If you have any information about this case, you're urged to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS or (855) 847-6227.
