Three Gang Members Arrested on Complaint Alleging Armed Robbery and Shooting at Beverly Hills Restaurant

          LOS ANGELES – Three members of the Rollin’ 30s Crips street gang have been arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging they committed an armed robbery at a Beverly Hills restaurant’s crowded outdoor dining area on March 4 in which one restaurant patron was held at gunpoint and another was shot and wounded.

          The complaint, which was unsealed on Tuesday, charges the following three men – all South Los Angeles residents and documented members of the Rollin’ 30s Crips – with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery:

• Malik Lamont Powell, 20;
• Khai McGhee, a.k.a. “Cameron Smith,” 18; and
• Marquise Anthony Gardon, 30.

          The defendants were arrested on Tuesday and are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

          According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, during the afternoon of March 4, an armed robbery occurred at Il Pastaio restaurant in Beverly Hills. During the robbery, a restaurant patron was held at gunpoint while he was robbed by three men for his Richard Mille wristwatch, worth approximately $500,000. A struggle for the gun ensued, during which approximately two rounds were discharged from the firearm, striking another restaurant patron in the leg. Ultimately, the handgun was dropped to the ground during the struggle with the victim. The robbers fled the scene with the victim’s watch.

          Based on a review of video surveillance footage and witness statements, a total of five individuals are believed to be involved in the robbery crew that committed this robbery, the affidavit states. Law enforcement has identified Powell and McGhee as two of the three robbers, and Gardon has been identified as a driver of the robbery crew’s getaway car, according to the affidavit.

          Powell’s car – a black BMW – allegedly was used to transport the robbery crew to and from the robbery, and his cell phone allegedly was present near Il Pastaio at the time of the robbery. Powell’s social media accounts allegedly contained images of various guns and high-value wristwatches.

          McGhee’s DNA was found on the robbery victim’s clothing following the struggle for the gun, the affidavit states. Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows Gardon getting out of the rear passenger seat and into the driver’s seat of the getaway car just before the robbery at Il Pastaio, and his cell phone was present near the restaurant at the time of the robbery.

          Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows the robbers scouting the area prior to the robbery.

          If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

          A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

          The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated this matter with the Santa Monica Police Department providing assistance.

          Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph D. Axelrad and Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.