3 Holdup Suspects May Be Linked to 100 Robberies

Police are investigating whether three men charged with armed robbery in connection with a holdup Monday at a Robinson's department store in the City of Industry could be linked to a string of up to 100 jewelry store robberies in Southern California.

About $600,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from the Puente Hills Mall store at 10:45 a.m. Monday and recovered minutes later after witnesses alerted authorities. It was the second jewelry robbery at the store in 18 months, Sheriff's Deputy Mike Miltimore said.

Lavell Hall, 24, of Los Angeles; Tafia Harris, 18, of Long Beach, and Felix Pennington, 21, of Los Angeles, pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Wednesday in Citrus Municipal Court in West Covina. Miltimore said police suspect that the three are part of a ring believed responsible for up to 100 robberies in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties over the past three years.