One arrested, another at large in ‘cowardly’ killing at convenience store

Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney on Wednesday announced one arrest in the killing of a convenience store clerk and said a second suspect is outstanding in what he called a “cowardly act.”

Two men robbed 20-year-old Dharampreet Singh Jassar on Monday night before one man fatally shot Jassar as the suspects left the Tackle Box store just outside Madera city limits. They took a few big boxes of cigarettes and some cash, but left some cash at the store.

“Some people put way too low of a value on the lives both of the victims and the families that they disrupt by doing things like this,” Varney said. “I think this was a pretty cowardly act for this person to do that on the way out the door after the clerk had done everything to comply with their needs to take someone else’s property.”

A Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy a few hours later arrested 21-year-old Armitraj Singh Athwal of Modesto after he appeared to have driven off the road near Kerman.

Fresno County Sheriff’s Sgt. David Rippe said Athwal got out of his red Toyota pickup when deputies arrived wearing socks and no shoes. He walked unsteadily as he approached deputies.

A search of his vehicle produced an unregistered .38-caliber revolver, a .22-caliber assault pistol that had been reported stolen, drugs and a blue bandana noticeable in the surveillance footage of the robbery at the Tackle Box.

He was arrested on suspicion of DUI and for having multiple guns and drugs in the car.

Deputies declined to say from where the .22 was stolen from. They believe the .38 found in the car was used in the homicide.

Athwal’s vehicle was also registered in another name.

They don’t believe Athwal and Jassar were familiar with one another.

One of the arresting deputies noticed the next morning that Athwal matched the description of one of the suspects wanted in the robbery and homicide at the Tackle Box.

Deputies said Athwal and the second suspect must have separated before Athwal’s truck got stuck on the side of Highway 145 near Ashlan Avenue, where the dirt is like clay and causes trouble for many vehicles, Rippe said.

Athwal faces robbery and murder charges. He does not appear to have a lengthy criminal history, Varney said. Athwal’s bail is set at $1 million.

This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 4:44 PM with the headline "One arrested, another at large in ‘cowardly’ killing at convenience store."