'Dying' armed robber threatens jewelry clerk in California

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- An armed suspect threatened a jewelry store employee in a California mall during a robbery, telling her not to "mess" with him because he is dying. The crime was captured on surveillance camera.

A white man in his 50s entered the Kevin Jewelers store inside a mall in Riverside, California, at about 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday, September 3. Police say the man introduced himself as "Dan" and told the female employee he was looking for a 30th anniversary ring to give to his wife.

The man then produced a small handgun from his rear pants pocket and pointed it at the woman, demanding rings from a glass display.

As she removed some of the rings, the man told the woman, "Don't (expletive) mess with me, I'm dying and I'm going to kill you. Don't push any buttons, stand up, turn around and count to 30," according to police.

The man left with the rings. No getaway vehicle was seen.

"We're hoping that someone in the community will recognize this individual," said Riverside Police Lt. Mike Cook. "Do not attempt to engage this individual. His actions have shown him to be dangerous."

The clean-shaven suspect with gray hair was described as standing about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, wearing a tan long-sleeve collared pullover shirt, dark jeans, a tan "newsboy" hat and clear-lens eyeglasses.

You can watch surveillance video of part of the incident on the Riverside Police Department Facebook page.