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Culver City Jewelry Store Thief Suspected In Torrance, Redondo Beach Heists

CULVER CITY (CBSLA.com) — Surveillance video was circulated Thursday of a man suspected in the armed robbery of a Zales jewelry store in Culver City, who may be behind two other jewelry store heists in the South Bay.

According to Culver city police, the suspect entered the Zales store at the Westfield Culver city mall about 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26 and asked to see a diamond ring.

"After the clerk removed the ring from the display case, the suspect displayed a handgun that was in his waistband, grabbed the ring and threatened to shoot the clerk if she moved. The suspect then reached over the counter and stole three more diamond rings before leaving the store, police said.

The estimated value of all four rings is $17,000, police said.

The same robber is suspected of similar heists at a Kevin Jewelers store in Torrance on Jan. 23 and at a Ben Bridge jewelry store in Redondo Beach on Feb. 27.

The suspect is described as black, in his late 20s or early 30s, 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build. He also wore white stud earrings, sported a mustache and had a tattoo on the right side of his neck that possibly spells out, "CALI."

Anyone with information about the suspect or the robberies can contact Culver City police Detective Ryan Thompson at (310) 253-6311 or the department watch commander at (310) 253-6202.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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