Florida Police Arrest L.A. Jewelry Store Employee Sought in Robbery

Florida police have arrested a Los Angeles jewelry store employee on suspicion of robbing his employers at gunpoint of about $3 million in gems and cash at their Olive Street shop last month, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.

Ofer Rashima, 22, was arrested Saturday by police in Plantation, a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, during a routine traffic stop, said Lt. John Dunkin, an LAPD spokesman. Rashima is being held in Florida pending an extradition hearing scheduled for Friday, when Los Angeles authorities will seek to have him returned to California for prosecution on one count of first-degree robbery, Dunkin said.

Police identified Rashima as the suspect in the Oct. 27 robbery of Anand Diamonds, a small shop on the quiet third floor of an office building honeycombed with jewelry stores in downtown Los Angeles’ jewelry district.

LAPD Detective Bob Salkeld said Rashima had worked for Anand for about three months before the robbery. About 1:30 p.m., Rashima allegedly drew a handgun and robbed his employers of about $3 million in gems and an undisclosed amount of cash, and fled, Salkeld said.

Rashima left some clues enabling police to pick up his trail, such as trying to sell the car he was driving in Arizona, Dunkin said.

On Saturday afternoon, a patrolman in Plantation pulled over the 1990 Nissan 300ZX that Rashima was driving because it had no license tags, Plantation Police Sgt. James Larsen told the Miami Herald.

Rashima showed the officer his California driver’s license and temporary license tags showing he had just bought the sports car, Larsen told the newspaper.

The officer arrested Rashima after police computers showed he was wanted on suspicion of robbing the Los Angeles jeweler.

Police searched an apartment in Sunrise, Fla., and found what they believe is all or nearly all of the gems--cut diamonds ranging in size from chips to three carats--and $15,300 of the $30,000 believed to be stolen from Anand Diamonds, Larsen told the Herald.