Two L.A. Men Arrested in Santa Ana Jewelry Store Robbery

Two Los Angeles men have been arrested and charged in a $200,000 smash-and-grab robbery of a Santa Ana jewelry store last month, which left a retired policeman seriously wounded.

Shawn Lamb, 18, and Tommy Harden, 21, each have been charged with three counts of armed robbery and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. They are being held in County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail for each, Santa Ana police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said.

On Aug. 20, Lamb, Harden and three accomplices allegedly used sledgehammers to shatter jewelry display cases and grabbed gold and silver jewelry at South Coast Jewelry Mart at Bristol Street and Sunflower Avenue.

Retired policeman Jay F. Parker, 46, who had brought in $10,000 worth of gold to be weighed, was shot in the chest as he knelt on the floor with his hands behind his head, Thomas said.

Lamb was arrested Friday by Los Angeles police when he appeared in a Los Angeles courthouse on a charge unrelated to the Santa Ana robbery, Thomas said. Harden was arrested Monday by Los Angeles officers when he met his probation officer.

Thomas would not say what led police to arrest Lamb and Harden. She said the release of that information might hinder the arrests of the three other suspects in the jewelry heist.