Four adult male suspects have been formally charged in connection with the June 24, 2022, smash-and-grab robbery at Pasha Fine Jewelry in Manhattan Beach.

“These arrests demonstrate our commitment to bringing those who commit crimes in Manhattan Beach to justice,” said Mayor David Lesser in a statement. “I commend our dedicated Manhattan Beach Police Department investigators and law enforcement partners whose tireless efforts over the past three years made this outcome possible. Our residents and business owners can be assured that our police department will pursue every lead and exhaust every resource to keep our community safe.”

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against all four individuals in the 2022 Pasha Fine Jewelry robbery. [Filing criminal charges is an initial step before formally charging a suspect.] Arrest warrants were subsequently issued and the final outstanding suspect recently surrendered to authorities, marking a significant milestone in the case. 

Throughout the course of the investigation, the Manhattan Beach Police Department (MBPD) remained actively engaged in the case. MBPD worked closely with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, providing critical evidence and ongoing support to ensure a strong foundation for prosecution.

The city of Manhattan Beach issued a statement crediting the lead investigator’s thorough investigative work and commitment to justice for the latest development, calling his efforts "instrumental in identifying the suspects and supporting charges brought forward by the District Attorney’s office."

The following suspects were charged in connection with the 2022 robbery:

Oscar Carranza
Los Angeles, CA
23 years old

Ziairre Veals
San Pedro, CA
26 years old

Kewon Maxwell
Los Angeles, CA
23 years old

Dontae Jones
Los Angeles, CA
27 years old

The 2022 Pasha robbery occurred on June 24, 2022 just before 7:00 p.m., when it was still light outside and when the downtown was bustling with diners and shoppers. Multiple suspects entered the jewelry store, used hammers to break display cases, and fled the store with miscellaneous merchandise. The suspects entered awaiting vehicles and fled the scene southbound in an alley. At least three suspects were armed with what appeared to be handguns, but no shots were fired.   

The robbery sent shock waves through the town, piercing the calm on what had otherwise been a typical summer night in the downtown area, and setting residents on edge. "We hadn't seen a brazen act like that before," said Manhattan Beach Police Chief Rachel Johnson (who was not yet chief at the time of the 2022 robbery). 

The event prompted the city to increase patrols in commercial and residential areas.

Nevertheless, robbers struck Pasha in a second smash-and-grab robbery in March 2023. Seven suspects were arrested in that robbery - including two juveniles - and the five adults from that case are all serving time in state prison.

Although the 2023 Pasha robbery had been resolved relatively quickly, police had continued to ask for for patience as they put in an "astonishing" amount of detective work to bring the criminals from the 2022 Pasha robbery to justice.