A Palm Desert jewelry store was robbed by a man pretending to be a customer, but Riverside County Sheriff's Department recovered the $45,000 in stolen jewelry and put the Los Angeles suspect behind bars.
The Aug. 17 incident took place on Highway 111 when an employee let the suspect inspect the jewelry, and the suspect suddenly grabbed the merchandise and fled the store, Deputy Sgt. Matthew Koser said in a news release from the Sheriff's Department.
Deputies from the Palm Desert Station arrived on the scene at approximately 12:33 p.m. and received a description of the vehicle from the store employee, who followed the suspect after he ran out of the store. Thanks to the employee, they were able to broadcast a description of the vehicle to other law enforcement, including a department helicopter.
The helicopter began searching the freeway and found a vehicle matching the description in the Banning area.
With an update from the helicopter, "deputies nearby responded and successfully apprehended the suspect. The stolen jewelry, valued at approximately $45,000, was found on the suspect and recovered," Koser said.
The suspect, Jason Warren, 28, was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for commercial burglary, he said.