Suspects Identified, Arrested in Connection to Jewelry Exchange Robbery in April
ORANGE — Around 2 PM on April 28, 2022, Tustin police officers responded to a call from The Jewelry Exchange near the 15000 block of Tustin Village Way. The call was in regard to an alleged smash-and-grab robbery that had just occurred.
Responding officers learned that six masked suspects with handguns had entered the business and smashed jewelry cases using a tire iron and hammers. The suspects then fled the scene prior to the officers arriving.
The suspects reportedly fled with over $87,000 worth of jewelry. Three getaway vehicles had been parked on the SR-55 freeway. The suspects jumped the fence onto the freeway and fled, police said.
Nobody in the jewelry store was hurt.
As part of the investigation, police obtained search warrants for several residences throughout Southern California, with coordination from the Long Beach Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, which resulted in the identification and arrests of six suspects.
The first suspect, Nasadi Milton, was taken into custody in July. The second suspect, Trayvonte Washington, was arrested in August.
In the ensuing months ahead, Tustin PD detectives worked diligently to locate the four outstanding suspects.
The final four suspects — identified as Masiah Pagota, Naheim Milton, Cameron Smith, and Gregory Edison — were all taken into custody throughout the months of October, November, and December.
Orange County District Attorney’s Office filed felony criminal charges against all six suspects, including counts of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
