Fifth suspect arrested in London Jewelers robbery

Bill San Antonio

A fifth suspect wanted in connection with a 2011 robbery of a jewelry store at the Americana shopping center in Manhasset was arrested by U.S. marshals and charged Wednesday, police officials said.

Christopher Evans, 28, was arrested in Brooklyn by U.S. marshals from the Regional Fugitive Task Force and charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree criminal use of a firearm, police said.

Four other Brooklyn men were arrested on the same charges just after the Oct. 14, 2011 robbery of London Jewelers at 2046 Northern Boulevard. 

Police said approximately $800,000 worth of watches was recovered in a duffel bag in a garbage can the next morning.

Evans, 31-year-old Javon Gamble, 27-year-old Leroy Nelson and 23-year-old Reggie Fowler, each of Brooklyn, allegedly entered the store wearing blue jumpsuits and black bandanas over their faces, police said, announcing a robbery.

Police said two of the men displayed handguns while another used a hammer to smash display cases, and a fourth removed various Rolex and Breitling watches.

The alleged robbers then left the store and escaped in a black Cadillac Escalade driven by 30-year-old Samuel Cephas, and were then chased by Nassau police eastbound on Northern Boulevard and then onto the Long Island Expressway headed westbound, police said.

Due to heavy traffic, the defendants abandoned the vehicle on foot, police said, and four of the alleged robbers were later arrested without incident near Lake Success Country Club in Great Neck. The fifth suspect, now alleged to have been Evans, was not apprehended. 

Police said Evans was scheduled to be arraigned May 30.

Cephas was also charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree fleeing of a police officer, police said.

Following the initial arrests, the Lake Success board of trustees honored four village police officers, Sgt. Thomas Fernandez and officers Thomas Alter, John Cancel and Nick LaRusso, with “Exceptionable Police Duty” awards.

“This is a very common occurrence in the jewelry industry; this kind of smash and grab… and it’s very rare that anyone is apprehended,” London Jewelers Chief Operating Officer Tim Claire told Blank Slate Media at the time.

Gamble was convicted in April on three counts of robbery, in the first and second degrees, in addition to counts of second-degree grand larceny, criminal mischief and possession of burglar’s tools, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a statement. 

According to reports, Gamble began serving a sentence between 21 and 25 years earlier this month.

Nelson pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree criminal mischief, a spokesman from Rice’s office said, and is due for sentencing June 7.

Fowler pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and one count of criminal mischief, Rice’s spokesman said, and is due for sentencing May 31.

Rice’s spokesman said Cephas’ case is ongoing and he is due to appear in court June 7.

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