Details Released In Palm Desert Mall Smash-And-Grab

PALM DESERT, CA — Rumors of an active-shooter situation Tuesday evening at The Shops at Palm Desert were quickly debunked by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, but a smash-and-grab at a jewelry store in the mall did happen, and the law enforcement agency has provided an update.

At 5:14 p.m. Tuesday, deputies were called to a jewelry store in the mall located in the 72000 block of Highway 111. A few patrons reported on social media there was an active shooter and the mall was on lockdown.

Just before 7 p.m., however, the sheriff's department announced that deputies determined there was no active shooter.

Deputies instead discovered a "grand theft from a business at the location," the sheriff's department announced Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning, more details were released.

"Deputies arrived and determined a jewelry store at the location had been robbed by four suspects shattering display cases with sledgehammers and glass-breaking tools," according to the sheriff's department update. The four took off and "witnesses saw the suspects enter a red sedan and deputies quickly located the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Monterey Avenue."

The sedan crashed with another vehicle and the four suspects allegedly fled in the area of Monterey Avenue and Dinah Shore Drive before being quickly captured Tuesday night, according to the sheriff's department.

Mason Tyler Barron, 21, of Hemet and Cleopatra Tredai Jones, 25, of Los Angeles were arrested with two juveniles on suspicion of robbery, according to a report from Sgt. Daniel Milbrandt of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Jones and Barron were booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where they remain held on $60,000 bail, according to inmate records. The juveniles were booked into Juvenile Hall, according to Milbrandt.

Investigators were working to determine if the suspects were involved in other robberies in Riverside and Orange counties, and anyone with relevant information was asked to call Investigator Roman Lugo of the Palm Desert sheriff's station at 760-836-1600.