Purple Heart recipient among three arrested for robbery

FRESNO – The Fresno Police Department announced the arrest of three men in connection with the armed robbery of a jewelry store in southeast Fresno two weeks ago.

Justin McLean, 24, Cory Gray, 27, and Raymundo Segura, 43, are accused of stealing $138,000 worth of jewelry from Don Roberto’s Jewelers on Kings Canyon Road at Chestnut Avenue on March 28.

A surveillance video of the incident shows a man armed with a handgun and a man armed with a hammer rushing into the store around 5 p.m. The two men began smashing the glass cases with the hammer and gun and grabbing the jewelry inside.

The robbers were in and out of the store in three minutes and managed to take 161 items. However, they left behind crucial evidence, including palm prints, which were later used to identify Gray.

The two suspects left the scene in a black Chrysler driven by a third person. A police camera on Kings Canyon and Winery showed the car going through the intersection, and a witness was able to catch the last number on the license plate, all helping lead police to the suspects.

When police arrested Segura, he was wearing a stolen ruby ring and had three handguns. Gray was arrested in the 6000 block of North Augusta Avenue, where the getaway car was located. When McLean was arrested, police recovered body armor used during the robbery as well as a rifle.

“When Justin McLean was taken into custody, he confessed to our detectives that he, in fact, had been involved in this robbery,” Dyer said.

McLean seems to have been the mastermind behind the robbery. He is an army veteran and Purple Heart recipient with military training. Dyer believes this training is what allowed McLean to execute the crime in the way that he did.

“That training allows individuals to remain calm under fire, calm under a stressful situation like a robbery,” Dyer said.

During police questioning, McLean requested to see the surveillance video from the jewelry store because he wanted to “time himself to see how fast he could do the robbery,” Dyer said.

All of the men were booked at the Fresno County Jail. McLean posted bail and was released, and Segura was released due to overcrowding. Gray remains in jail.

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