LA man accused of stealing $45,000 worth of jewelry from a Palm Desert store arrested

A Los Angeles man suspected of stealing $45,000 worth of jewelry from a store in Palm Desert was arrested on Wednesday.

The incident started at around 12:30 p.m. at a jewelry store on the 72000 block of Highway 111.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, deputies learned that the suspect entered the store acting as if he was interested in buying jewelry. As the employee provided items for the suspect to inspect, the suspect suddenly grabbed the items and ran out of the store.

A store employee followed the suspect and was able to get a description of the vehicle.

A Riverside Sheriff’s helicopter located a vehicle matching the vehicle's description in the Banning area. Deputies nearby responded and were able to apprehend the suspect.

The stolen jewelry, valued at approximately $45,000, was found on the suspect and recovered, the Sheriff's Dept. confirmed.

The suspect was identified as a 28-year-old resident of Los Angeles. He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio and faces a charge of commercial burglary.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Corporal Stuhrmann of the Palm Desert Station at (760) 836-1600.