Felon Who Shot Clerk at Moreno Valley Shop Pleads Guilty

A Los Angeles gang member who shot a clerk during a Moreno Valley jewelry store heist, then fled from police in a 100 mph pursuit, pleaded guilty today to attempted murder.

Jury selection had just begun for the trial of 28-year-old Roosevelt Andrew Fernandez when the prosecution and defense informed Riverside County Superior Court Judge David Gunn that a plea agreement had been reached.

Along with the attempted murder count, Fernandez admitted sentence- enhancing allegations of discharging a firearm during a felony and committing a crime to further the interests of a criminal street gang. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped charges of armed robbery and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.

Gunn scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 10, during which Fernandez is expected to receive 40 years in state prison, per the terms specified in the plea deal.

The ex-con, who’s being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, and three cohorts held up Empire Jewelry and Loan at 24571 Sunnymead Blvd. on Dec. 12, 2012.

A week ago, Fernandez’s co-defendants -- Jerome Renard Allen, 26, Damine Lavonte Banks, 32, and Traevon Cortez Vidaud, 25 -- were each sentenced to between 22 and 25 years in state prison for their roles in the robbery and high- speed chase. They also negotiated plea deals with the District Attorney’s Office.

Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Leon testified in a 2013 preliminary hearing that each defendant stormed into the pawn shop wearing masks and waving handguns, ordering customers and employees to the floor.

Fernandez shot a clerk laying on the ground, wounding the man in the back and shoulder, Leon said. The victim survived.

According to Leon, when the shots rang out, a customer ducking near the front entrance bolted outside, fleeing to a nearby convenience store where he called 911.

The bandits finished stuffing a duffel bag with loot and ran to a waiting dark gray four-door Lexus in which they had arrived, with a getaway driver at the wheel.

Sheriff’s officials aired a regional alert describing the car, which California Highway Patrol officers spotted and began chasing on Interstate 215 near Highgrove.

The Lexus briefly exited the freeway into Jurupa Valley, blowing through stop lights and signs, even crossing into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing a school bus. The driver then returned to the Pomona (60) Freeway westbound, at one point reaching speeds of 125 mph, according to witnesses.

The bandits went south on the Orange (57) Freeway, exiting at Nutwood Avenue, where they rearended a car and became stuck just outside Cal State Fullerton, according to the CHP. Five men bailed out of the Lexus, three going south and two going north onto the campus, officers testified.

Allen was quickly arrested but proclaimed his innocence, as well as his gang affiliation -- Compton Crips -- according to investigators.

Banks was also arrested near the university, but two other men fled across the campus and melted into the crowd.

Vidaud carjacked a motorist and led law enforcement on another chase -- televised live by several media outlets -- that ended 20 minutes later in Watts, where he was immediately captured.

Fernandez was arrested in Long Beach on Dec. 26, 2012. The fifth robber has never been identified.

--City News Service

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