3-strike felon who robbed a Rancho Cucamonga jewelry store sentenced to 50 years to life

An Ontario man who robbed a Rancho Cucamonga jewelry store and pistol-whipped the store's owner has been sentenced to 50 years to life.

Christopher Lamar, 30, had two previous convictions of residential burglary in San Bernardino County making him a three-strike felon, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.

Lamar's sentencing last week followed his convictions of armed robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm and other charges for the afternoon robbery of Gemma's Jewelers in the Terra Vista Town Center two years ago.

On Oct. 15, 2022, Lamar entered the jewelry store wearing a security guard vest and armed with a handgun, yelling "this is an attack." His accomplice wore an amazon vest, and both had on masks and gloves.

Lamar then ran up to the owner and beat her with the handgun, then smashed the jewelry display cases and demanded cash.

He then stole about $20,0000 worth of jewelry, and the owner's iPhone, according to the DA's Office.

People in the store and in the shopping center were able to provide a make, model and license plate of the getaway vehicle to detectives, and surveillance video captured the vehicle as well.

After the robbery, the store owner's cellphone was recovered near some train tracks, and the suspect vehicle was found, abandoned. Lamar was identified as the main suspect, and at the time, he had an outstanding felony warrant for burglary.

Lamar was arrested Oct. 19, 2022 at the Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino, he was in possession of an un-serialized semi-automatic firearm, according to the DA's Office.