SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. – On October 15, 2022 Christopher Lamar (30), and an accomplice, entered a local Rancho Cucamonga jewelry store armed with a handgun, yelling “this is an attack” then ran up to the owner and pistol-whipped her with the handgun. He smashed the jewelry display cases and demanded cash. Lamar then proceeded to steal approx. $20,000.00 worth of jewelry and the owners iphone.
During the attack, Lamar wore a security guard jacket, and his accomplice wore an Amazon vest. Both also sported masks and gloves.
Good Samaritans in the store and the shopping center were able to provide a make, model and license plate of the getaway vehicle to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives. The jewelry store and neighboring stores provided video surveillance footage of the suspect vehicle to assist in the investigation.
Hours after the robbery, using location tracking, the store owner’s cellphone was recovered near some train tracks, and the suspect vehicle was located abandoned and towed. A rapid and thorough investigation identified Christopher Lamar as the main suspect. At the time, Christopher Lamar had an outstanding felony warrant for burglary.
On Oct. 19th 2022, San Bernardino County Sheriff Dept. Specialized Enforcement Division (S.E.D) with assistance from San Bernardino Police Department apprehended Lamar after a short foot pursuit through Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino. At the time Lamar was taken into custody, he was in possession of an un-serialized semi-automatic firearm.
During trial, prosecutors introduced witness statements and surveillance footage showing Lamar using the same gun in the Rancho Cucamonga jewelry store robbery that was in his backpack at the time of his arrest.
A jury convicted Lamar of two counts of armed robbery, three counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. Lamar had two previous convictions of residential burglary in San Bernardino County making him a three-strike felon.
On May 30, 2024 Lamar was sentenced to an indeterminate term of 50 years to life, with a determinate term of 7 years 4 months.
“Business owners and residents are fed-up with smash and grab robbers and burglars like Christopher Lamar terrorizing our communities over and over again while legislators refuse to impose actual consequences or accountability,” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. “Our office will continue to file gun and prior strike enhancements to separate career criminals from law abiding citizens and increase safety for our residents who work, shop and live in San Bernardino County.”
This case was submitted to our office by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department after extensive investigative efforts, and successfully prosecuted by our West End District Attorney Gang Unit. The Honorable Judge Michael Knish presided over the trial.
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