One of five individuals suspected of robbing a Corona jewelry store and leading police on a multi-city pursuit that ended with a controlled crash was out of custody Tuesday, while one of his alleged cohorts remained behind bars and three others were at large.
Joshua Matthew Lewis, 24, of Inglewood was arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on Sunday on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy. Lewis posted a $100,000 bond and was released from the correctional facility Monday.
A 17-year-old boy, whose identity was not disclosed, was taken into custody in connection with the same offenses and was being held Tuesday at Riverside Juvenile Hall.
A search for the three other suspects was ongoing.
According to the Corona Police Department, just before 3 p.m. Sunday, four of the alleged conspirators, clad in hoodie sweatshirts and face masks, burst into Daniel's Jewelers at 2785 Cabot Drive carrying a trash can and pepper spray.
Investigators said one suspect sprayed a clerk in the face, incapacitating him, after which the suspects proceeded to smash display cases with hammers and grab all jewelry in sight, tossing it into the refuse bin.
Within a couple of minutes, the bandits fled the location, making off with an estimated $100,000 in loot and jumping into a Chevrolet Malibu with no license plates idling outside, police said.
Witnesses called 911, and less than 10 minutes later, a Corona patrolman spotted the Malibu headed westbound on the Riverside (91) Freeway, near Gypsum Canyon Road, where it abruptly exited.
"They continued to flee on streets in the cities of Yorba Linda, Placentia, Brea and Fullerton," police said. "The suspect vehicle became disabled when a Corona police officer performed a pursuit intervention technique maneuver near East Commonwealth Avenue and State College Boulevard in Fullerton."
The suspects bolted from the car, and law enforcement personnel from surrounding agencies converged on the location to assist Corona police officers with a perimeter search.
Police said Lewis was snared moments later, along with the juvenile, who allegedly tried to hide in dumpster outside an apartment complex.
The other three suspects, described as thinly built men or teenagers, eluded capture. Their whereabouts were unknown Tuesday.
The trash can was seized from the Malibu with some jewelry inside, but it was still unclear whether all of the stolen property was recovered, police said.
Anyone with information about the robbery or suspects was asked to contact Detective Lisa Larios at 951-279-3662.
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