Two gang members have pleaded guilty in a brazen daylight armed robbery of a $500,000 watch at a Beverly Hills dining area earlier this year.
Malik Lamont Powell, 21, and 18-year-old Khai McGhee faced three federal charges in connection to an incident in March. They were accused of putting a gun to a customer’s head at a Beverly Hills restaurant, stealing his Richard Millie watch worth over $500,000, and shooting and wounding a restaurant patron before running off, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Earlier this month, a third man, 41-year-old Marquise Anthony Gardon, also pleaded guilty to two charges in connection to the robbery.
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Crime scene photos show a heavy policy presence outside of Il Pastaio after the incident
Prosecutors said the three South Los Angeles men were all members of the Rollin’ 30s Crips gang.
Prosecutors said that on March 4 the men drove to the swanky Beverly Hills neighborhood with the intention of committing a robbery. After scouting the neighborhood, they decided to target a man wearing the pricey watch outside Il Pastaio restaurant.
Prosecutors said that after holding the man at gunpoint, a struggle for the gun ensued; two rounds were fired from the gun, with one striking a female patron in the leg.
Powell and McGhee pleaded guilty to three felonies: conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, interference with commerce by robbery, and using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, prosecutors said.
The men face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Following the robbery, surveillance footage of the incident showing the chaotic scene after shots were fired was released.
Il Pastaio is a known celebrity hot spot with a patio in Beverly Hills
A $500,000 Richard Mille watch that is similar to the one stolen at the restaurant
Amanda Shawhan (pictured) was injured following the Beverly Hills armed robbery in March
Jewelry dealer Shay Belhassen has spoken out about having his $500,000 watch stolen in Beverly Hills in a robbery that left a woman shot in the leg
Terrified diners are seen running for their lives. One of the robbers is seen being wrestled to the ground before storming off.
The man with the $500,000 watch, jewelry dealer Shay Belhassen, said he was having lunch when three armed robbers stormed inside, demanding his watch.
He said when he refused to hand it over, and they started shooting. He gave them the watch and they ran away on foot while others ran for their lives.
In an interview with The New York Post, Belhassen said he tried to fight them and even wrestled them to the ground.
‘One of them was choking me from the back with a gun to my head, while the other one was grabbing my arm, and the third one was yanking the watch off my hand,’ he said.
‘I took a chance and grabbed the gun, and wrestled them to the ground. They were trying to pull the trigger.
Drew Hancock said his girlfriend was shot and described the chaos as ‘crazy’ in an interview with KNBC.
A ricocheting bullet grazed the back of her calf, he told the outlet, and photos show her left leg wrapped in bandages.
She was treated by Beverly Hills Fire Department Paramedics and transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, the Beverly Hills Police Department said in a press release.
A second victim also was injured and treated at the scene.
Restaurant owner Celestino Drago told KTLA he was just happy no one was seriously hurt.
‘I feel good nobody got injured and nobody got killed because all the other stuff can be fixed,’ he said. ‘I feel bad for the customers, for the city, for the police department, for everybody. You don’t expect stuff like this to happen.’