MAN HELD IN THEFT OF RING FROM STORE.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Investigators arrested a man in connection with a Palmdale Boulevard jewelry shop theft in which the shopowner shot at the fleeing thief's car.

Daryl Poe was arrested Tuesday at his home in the 2400 block of Desert Oak Drive in Palmdale after deputies traced a license plate number back to his address.

Poe's 1994 Volkswagen Jetta, parked in his garage, had three bullet holes in the rear quarter panel, deputies said.

The theft occurred March 6 when a man ran out of the Jewelry Mart with a ring he had asked to look at, deputies said. Deputies said store owner Naz Manori ran after the thief and fired a handgun as the man got into the passenger side of a car. Deputies said Manori told them he shot at the car, trying to disable it.

The car sped away, but a week later a deputy stopped a Volkswagen Jetta for a traffic violation and noticed it had bullet holes in it. The driver didn't look like the ring thief, but the license plate led to Poe, the car's registered owner.

Officials have not yet decided if Manori should faces charges for shooting at the vehicle.

Poe's home was searched for the stolen ring, but it wasn't found.

During the search, investigators found an explosive device described as an M-1000, a large illegal firecracker. The Los Angeles County Arson and Explosives unit was sent in to take possession of the device.

Poe was being held at the Lancaster sheriff's station on suspicion of grand theft and possession of an explosive device in lieu of $30,000 bail.