Four nabbed in jewelry theft

      Police said the four suspects, identified as Giovanny Moreno, 22, Erick Leon, 33, Jose Alagon, 28 and Carlos Rodriguez Martinez, 28, are accused of making off with $400,000 in jewelry at 11:45 a.m., fleeing the scene in a black Mazda.
      Members from the First and Eighth precincts, the Crime Scene Unit, the Bureau of Special Operations, Emergency Services, the First Squad, the Eighth Squad and the Robbery Squad responded to the call, police said.
      "They all attempted to get away in the Mazda," said Det. Sgt. Gary Schriffen of the Nassau County Police Department Robbery Squad, adding that police were soon in pursuit. "At one point, a gun was thrown out the window, which the police recovered, and eventually the two in the back seat got out and took off on foot."
      Meanwhile, the two still in the car continued to North Jerusalem Road, just west of Newbridge Road, where they then abandoned the vehicle and tried to run off, Schriffen added.
      In a desperate attempt to avoid capture, Leon, one of the two in the back seat that had gotten out of the getaway car earlier, carjacked a private vehicle driven by an off-duty New York City police officer on East Meadow Avenue.
      Brandishing a knife, the Jamaica, Queens resident forced Leonard Corbett, who works at the 84th Precinct, to drive. Shortly after pulling away, Schriffen said Corbett slammed hard on his brakes, disorienting Leon, and attempted to wrestle the knife away from him.
      With the assistance of police in close pursuit, Corbett subdued the suspect, who was placed under arrest. Corbett suffered a hand laceration and an injury to his arm during the scuffle. He was treated at nearby Nassau University Medical Center and later released.
      The other three suspects were all eventually apprehended at different locations. All four arrests took place within 45 minutes of the robbery, Schriffen said. Police recovered the stolen jewelry, two handguns and the subjects' car.
      The four were arraigned on Friday, June 14 and were charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree criminal use of a firearm. Leon was charged with additional counts of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and resisting arrest.
      According to Rick Hinshaw, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon, all four pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their first scheduled court appearance was Tuesday, June 21, after press time. If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.
      Despite the robbery and subsequent chase, the general consensus within the stores adjacent to Heavenly Jewelers and among the residents living in the vicinity is that the neighborhood is still safe.
      "This was clearly an isolated incident, I think that these were people who came into the area and left," said Rich, who works in the nearby store Pet's Preference and declined to give his last name. "I don't feel any more nervous than I did before."
      Although concerned about the robbery, Michelle Slepian, a parent who lives around the corner from Heavenly Jewelers, doesn't feel less safe because of what happened.
      "I am appalled that a crime like this took place. I am glad and relieved that no one was seriously hurt during the incident," Slepian said. "I look at this as a setup for the jewelry salesman, not the local jewelry store or the stores around it. It could have taken place in any other location that the salesman calls on."