2 Suspects Fatally Shot in Jewelry Store Holdup

The clerk at a family-owned jewelry store was questioned by police in the fatal shooting of a man and a woman as they fled with two accomplices after a Saturday afternoon robbery, authorities said.

Los Angeles police took Nelson Segovia, 39, to the Van Nuys station for questioning, said his wife, Maria. Police say he chased the robbers out of the Segovia Jewelry store, which is owned by his father-in-law, and then fired as they ran away with an unknown amount of jewelry.

“I heard one gunshot and about 10 seconds later two more gunshots,” said Erik Nelson, 29, a truck driver who was making a delivery to a nearby restaurant. “They were pretty loud. I thought it was a car backfiring.”

The man’s body lay about 10 feet from the doorway of Segovia Jewelry, which is located in a strip mall on Victory Boulevard near Woodley Avenue. The woman’s body was in an alley behind the store. Authorities have not identified them.

A gun believed to belong to one of the robbers was found on the pavement between the two bodies.

Police said two other suspects, described as men in their 20s, fled on foot and are believed to be armed and dangerous. Investigators used dogs to search the neighborhood.

Segovia was working alone at the store during the 1 p.m. robbery, said his wife.

The family kept a .44-caliber revolver behind a store counter, she said, since a robbery in which thousands of dollars’ worth of gold was taken last year. “We were scared,” Maria Segovia said about why they kept a gun.

Police said the steady afternoon rain probably limited the number of eyewitnesses.

“We’re hoping someone will come forward that saw what happened,” said LAPD Capt. Rich Wemmer. Although police had interviewed some witnesses, he said, “Any additional information would be helpful.”

Police investigators cordoned off the mall, which includes a pager outlet and a discount casket store. They also searched a red minivan parked behind the mall.

“We are still trying to determine what relationship the van has to the situation,” Wemmer said.

Police would not say whether Segovia would be arrested in the shootings.