Police are still working to track down the person responsible for killing rapper PnB Rock at a South L.A. Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, but they’re hopeful that the musician’s distinctive diamond-encrusted chain might help.
Now the Los Angeles Police Department is on the hunt for that custom chain and any other jewelry that may have been taken during Monday’s deadly robbery.
Pawn shops have been told to look out for the stolen items, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Defense attorney Mark Reichel noted that it would “obviously” be a poor decision to try to pawn such a unique piece of jewelry right now, as police have “the pawn shops blanketed.”
“I probably think this (case) is going out of state,” Reichel told KTLA.
Pawn shops are required by law to report items they believe were stolen, and an online database allows police to cross-reference the items.
“They get something significant, it’s personal property, they’re purchasing it. They have to report daily and if they don’t, it’s a misdemeanor for failure to report,” he said.
While the chain turning up in a pawn shop would certainly help the police’s efforts, other rappers are suggesting their colleagues avoid becoming the next victim.
South L.A. rapper and actor Ice-T took to Twitter with a simple tip.
“People are still hitting me up about my comments about LA Gang culture. If you NOTICE, LA rappers don’t wear a lotta Jewelry… Me, Snoop, Cube, Dre, Game, Kendrick. The list goes on.. It’s not cause we’re broke. LA is just a Dangerous place, rapper or not. Why test the streets,” the hip hop legend wrote.
Reichel agreed with Ice-T’s assessment, adding that some of his clients also make the decision to forgo flashy jewelry in Southern California.
“There’s no dispute in my book, and I do represent some of the rappers that live in Los Angeles now, and they don’t wear their stuff out in Los Angeles. In fact, they’ve been the victims of break-ins to their house to try to get that jewelry,” he said.