3 Arrested In Connection With Beverly Hills Restaurant Robbery

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Three gang members have been arrested on federal charges alleging they committed an armed robbery at an outdoor Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills in March, where one patron was hit by gunfire and another was held at gunpoint over a $500,000 watch.

The complaint, unsealed Tuesday, charges three South Los Angeles residents who are documented members of the Rollin’ 30s Crips street gang, according to the Department of Justice:

• Malik Lamont Powell, 20
• Khai McGhee, a.k.a. “Cameron Smith,” 18
• Marquise Anthony Gordon

The defendants were arrested Tuesday and are expected to appear at the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon. They are each charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

On March 4 at around 2 p.m., police were called to Il Pastaio, an upscale Italian restaurant popular with celebrities located at Brighton Way and North Canon Drive, to reports of an armed robbery. When officers arrived, they found that a woman had been shot.

Drew Hancock later told NBC4 that his girlfriend Amanda Shawhan was grazed on the back of her calf after a fight broke out between three men 10 yards away from the restaurant where they were dining. Hancock said he didn't realize what was happening, and thought it was a drunken fight.

Officers arrived within 90 seconds and treated Shawhan for non-life threatening injuries. She was released from the hospital two days later. Another woman was also hurt, but not hospitalized.

Shawhan was shot when a fight broke out over a nearby patron’s $500,000 Richard Mille wristwatch. Masked men held a gun to the head of the watch’s owner, Los Angeles jeweler Shay Belhassen - a former Israeli soldier, according to CBS4 - who fought them for the gun. In the course of the struggle, two rounds were fired, and one of the bullets grazed Shawhan in the leg. The assailants dropped the gun during the struggle and fled the scene with Belhassen’s watch, according to the complaint.

Source: Beverly Hills Police Department

Investigators have concluded that five people were involved in the robbery, based on witness interviews and surveillance video.

Law enforcement officials identified Powell and McGhee as two of the three robbers, and Gordon has been identified as a driver of the BMW alleged to have transported the robbery to and away from the scene of the robbery, according to the affidavit. Powell’s social media also shows images of guns and various high-value wristwatches, according to the affidavit.

Investigators found McGhee’s DNA on the clothing of one of the victims, according to the affidavit. Surveillance footage also shows Gordon getting out of the rear passenger seat and into the driver’s seat of the BMW just before the robbery, the affidavit also alleges. McGhee and Powell’s cell phones were also allegedly shown to be near the restaurant at the time of the robbery, the complaint alleges.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows the robbers scouting the area before the robbery.

Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti held a news conference in front of Beverly Hills City Hall Wednesday morning, where he addressed the spike in crime all over the city. The March 4 incident was the latest in a series of jewelry-related attacks in and around Beverly Hills, Fairfax, and Melrose Avenue in which robbers stole watches from customers in broad daylight. It is unknown whether the defendants or their gang were involved with those robberies.

“We’re still seeing that crime is down, but we’re seeing an uptick, and I believe that the crimes that we’re experiencing, these brazen bold kind of crimes that are just in your face, I believe the criminals feel empowered to conduct their behavior because I think there’s a feeling out there there’s no consequences for criminal behavior,” Rivetti said.

“We’re fortunate that we have the Beverly Hills Police Department, and we’re gonna protect the city,” he continued, noting the entire department responded to the March 4 event.

See also:

1 Shot During Beverly Hills Restaurant Robbery | Beverly Hills, CA Patch

Il Pastaio Robbery Latest In A String Of Watch-Related Attacks | Beverly Hills, CA Patch