Clerk Not Charged in Robbers’ Shooting
The Los Angeles district attorney’s office on Tuesday declined to file criminal charges against a jewelry store clerk who fatally shot two robbers during a botched Valentine’s Day heist.
There was insufficient evidence to prosecute clerk Nelson Segovia, who told authorities he shot the fleeing robbers because he was afraid they would shoot him, according to a document released by the district attorney’s office.
“The shootings do not appear to be criminal conduct,” concluded Deputy Dist. Atty. Larry Diamond.
Segovia, 39, shot two of four robbers who burst into Joyeria Segovia on Victory Boulevard near Woodley Avenue about 1 p.m. Feb. 14. Killed were Alfredo Castro, 27, and Maria Chavez, 34, both of Los Angeles. A suspected accomplice, Eddar Diaz-Ponce, has been arrested and charged with robbery, said Det. Mel Arnold of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Division. Another suspect remains at large.
The two robbers who fled escaped with an unknown amount of jewelry, police said.
The owners of the jewelry store began keeping a .44-caliber handgun under the counter after a robbery last year.
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