Danville Police Chief Allan Shields touched on the arrest of a two-time suspected carjacker and alleged kidnapper in a video address to citizens following a confusing series of crimes triggered by the theft of tools from the Ace Hardware store Wednesday. (Chief Shields give details of today’s incident at the 16:21 mark).
Officers were dispatched to a report of a shoplifting incident possibly involving several potential suspects at the Tassajara Crossings Shopping Center at around noon Wednesday and we don’t think we have to tell you that reports of thefts by “multiple” suspects are getting priority attention at the moment. In this case, store employees also told police a suspect had stolen tools.
Arriving officers located several witnesses who provided a description of the suspects and a getaway vehicle. One witness was reportedly injured by a suspect’s knife when they tackled one suspect and two suspects ultimately fled on Camino Tassajara toward I-680 – the third suspect disengaging himself from the pursuing employee and fleeing on foot.
A short time later, officers received a report from a victim stating he had been carjacked at knifepoint by a suspect who demanded to be driven to Antioch. The victim instead drove the suspect to San Ramon, where undercover police officers reportedly observed the suspect carjack a second vehicle in the Crow Commons Shopping Center.
Officers raced to stop the second vehicle and rescued two people who said the car had been taken by force. The suspect, so far unidentified, was arrested after witnesses positively identified him as the suspect in the carjacking and earlier theft at Ace.
The other two suspects wanted for the Ace Hardware thefts are still outstanding.
