MISSION VIEJO : Suspect Seized After Mall Jewel Robbery

A man suspected of robbing a department store jewelry counter in the Mission Viejo Mall on Wednesday was arrested soon afterward in Westminster.

Steven Andersen, 25, of Los Angeles was accused of holding up a clerk at the Robinson’s jewelry counter shortly after the store opened at 10 a.m., Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said.

Anderson was arrested by Westminster police just south of the Seal Beach Boulevard exit on the San Diego Freeway about 45 minutes after the robbery occurred, Olson said.

He was later booked into Orange County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Olson said Anderson allegedly walked into the department store and demanded that the jewelry counter clerk turn over an unspecified amount of jewelry.

“The suspect said he was armed, but no weapon was seen,” Olson said.

The robber was then spotted leaving the south door of the mall and getting into a gray Mitsubishi Mirage, Olson said. A bulletin was issued and a short time later a Huntington Beach police helicopter crew spotted a car that matched the description.

A Westminster squad car picked up the chase and caught Anderson after he allegedly tried to evade authorities by backing up on the freeway and then sliding his car down an embankment to an off-ramp.

Anderson was later identified by witnesses, Olson said. The jewels believed to have been taken from the department store were recovered in the car, he added.