Hopes for a quiet Thanksgiving Day were dashed in Lafayette after police responded to an armed robbery in the city Wednesday night, the ensuing investigation ending with an arrest and ruining any plans for a Holiday dinner one suspected thief may have had.
Things kicked off around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday as an employee at a downtown Lafayette business walked back to his car near First Street and Deer Hill Road, police said. As he neared his car he was confronted by two Hispanic men in hooded sweatshirts who approached and brandished a handgun while demanding the intended victim’s wallet, according to investigators. Police said the intended victim started to run east on Deer Hill, eventually climbing a fence to nearby Highway 24 in order to escape.
The two stickup men gave chase but were diverted when two other workers also walking to their cars attracted their attention, according to officers. The pair were not as lucky as the first man, according to police, surrendering money and property to the thieves – who promptly ran to a waiting orange Honda Element that had stopped on First Street.
Lamorinda police responded to the scene but police thought the thieves had gotten away cleanly until an area canvass turned up video of the Element’s license plate and a check revealed that the car had been impounded by Oakland police after a robbery in their city. A suspect, whose name or hometown was not given, was arrested in connection with that case, police said, and items taken during the Lafayette robbery recovered.
Lafayette police are looking for at least one additional suspect and ask anyone who may have seen the Element or the men associated with that car to call them with any pertinent details. No one was injured in the Lafayette incident, according to police.
