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One of three suspects arrested in Laguna Beach jewelry armed robbery

 By Michael Webster

One of the three suspects that run from Laguna Beach police after last Tuesday's jewelry store heist was taken into custody today according to law enforcement. During that robbery, believed taken at gun point was more than a half-million dollars worth of jewelry from a popular Laguna Beach jewelry store

Alonso Jose Lopez, 31, of Vista, California, who police say his police record shows that he has a history of violent crime. Lopez is believed to be one of the three who pulled the job off at Baca's Jewelry Store located at 305 Forest Ave in downtown Laguna Beach in broad day light last Tuesday. Lopez and two other young males fled from police leading them on a canyon and toll road pursuit, by a L.B.P.D. officer who just happened to spot the getaway car in the canyon, the chase than ensued, which ended by the suspects eluding both L.B.P.D. and the Orange county sheriff deputies who assisted in the search of the Aliso Viejo shopping center, and parking garage where the suspects were able to escape undetected.

Police fund Lopez in San Diego County by checking the white Ford Fusion used as the getaway car. That car turned out to be registered to a woman in Vista, who loaned it to her daughter Lt. Kravetz of the L.B.P.D.said.

Authorities believe the daughter in turn loaned it to Lopez, an acquaintance, but that she was unaware the car would be used in a crime, Kravetz said.

L.B.P.D.detectives tracked Lopez to Oceanside Thursday at about 3 p.m. They asked Oceanside Police to pull over his car, but when officers turned on their emergency lights, Lopez attempted to flee, Kravetz said.

Lopez ran from the car and into a building, he said. Police set up a perimeter, blocking exits in and out of the area, and took Lopez into custody.

Lopez has been brought back to Laguna Beach, where he is being held, Kravetz said.

San Diego sheriff ‘s said three men robbed an Jewelry & Repair Center in San Marcos, California at approximately 3:00 p.m. the next day after the Laguna robbery. One of the three entered the store first and inquired about earrings before pulling a gun on the salesclerk. His two accomplices then entered the store and took diamonds, gold and other jewelry from the display cases, as well as cash. Police say the robbers spoke in Spanish before leaving the store and were described as Latinos of average build in their late 20s to early 30s. The value of the goods stolen has not yet been determined.

At this stage, authorities say they don’t know for sure if the robbery was related to the Laguna Beach holdup on Tuesday. San Marcos is about 50 miles southeast of Laguna Beach and very near Vista where Lopez is believed to have resided. As in the Laguna case, police described the suspects as Hispanic and in their 20s or early 30s. Similarly to the Laguna robbery the three suspects managed to avoid capture.

Police reported that they were able to recover some of the $600,000 in stolen jewelry, but most of it is still missing.

Authorities said Lopez has a criminal past that includes serving time after being convicted in San Diego County of kidnapping and use of a firearm.

No other arrests have been made in the jewelry heist, and

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