Saturday was a hectic and tragic day in Walnut Creek and we’ll admit our small staff had its hands full from the start.
Late in the day we began picking up “chatter” of an armed robbery at a downtown restaurant but were unable to pin down the details. Bounty Hunter General Manager Scott Andrews tells us today (Wednesday) that at approximately 7pm on Saturday a lone patron leaving the restaurant was approached by three individuals in the parking lot BEHIND the business.
Scott did not say if the trio was armed, as we have heard. He went on to say he/his employees “immediately assisted the guest in contacting the police and are cooperating in trying to obtain the CCTV footage of the area from our landlord. Nothing occurred inside the restaurant or outdoor dining areas in relation to this incident. We are committed to the safety and security of all of our guests and businesses in the downtown area.”
Thanks for that information, Scott.
It was not established if, as we have heard, that a watch and personal belongings were taken by armed men during this robbery. There were no reports of the patron being injured in any way.
This was the first deviation from the so-called “Follow Home” robberies we’ve seen in the area recently, and may have heralded a more straightforward approach by criminal crews working the area.
The only description we had was that the trio were African American. They reportedly escaped with an undetermined amount of personal belongings, and were last seen on Mt. Diablo Boulevard.
Scary news .. but seems odd there has been no report or comment from WCPD. Must have been a frightening experience for staff and patrons!
If it went down as we’re hearing, Michele, we’re sure it was a very scary thing. As usual, we’d be very interested in hearing from anyone who was present at the time.
As it happens, we parked in that lot right around 7 for dinner at the adjacent restaurant.
Nothing appeared amiss aside from a rough looking, intoxicated African American couple excitedly bickering over some unintelligible nonsense.
Zero visible police presence, no detectives canvassing for witnesses, no indication whatsoever that a violent felony had just gone down.
Campo,
You may have just missed it.
11R
Time to start pulling over all vehicles with overly tinted windows.
WTF is going on? These criminals are getting bolder.
Yeah and let’s pass some more guns laws so that we can all be sure no law abiding citizen can defend themselves.
If you want to open, or conceal carry a gun, if you have to be licensed, have proof of insurance, be 21 years old, have your license renewed every year, etc. that is great. I hope you’d shoot a perpetrator and not an innocent bystander. I hope the police wouldn’t shoot you thinking you were a criminal. And hey what’s a few dead children versus a rolex watch and common sense gun control.
Hey, Corinne – thoughtful post. Thank you. And yes, we had a hard time envisioning what might have happened had someone drawn a gun of their own and retaliated that night.
Yes totally, these criminals are in control well trained and have your safety in their mind. If yoy are scared to think what might have happened if someone pulled their own gun then yoy should be terrified of what these ill trained thugs are capable of. Pistol whipping couldn’t possible lead to a negligent discharge eh?
Stupid mentality guys where did your objectivity go? New person? No we deal in what if’s?
Trying to stop armed robbers with innocent people all around would be incredibly dangerous and stupid. Anyone with half a brain would wait until they leave the restaurant, and then confront them, or follow them and report their position/route to law enforcement.
I was trying to decide whether or not to have dinner in WC or another town tomorrow night. Decision made. If everyone avoided shopping and dining in WC for a while….think of the ramifications. Good? Bad?
Martha,
Problem is that very few are any safer, perhaps Alamo or Danville.
Firestone 11R
Martha,
I agree with you. WC will not do anything about this until it starts to negatively affect spending in the city. When patrons and shoppers stop coming into town, the city might notice and take action.
Corinne,
What about me, retired law enforcement? And, I am HR218, I can even carry on airplanes (with some paperwork).
Firestone 11R
Ok great you carrying a gun superman. Where were you when this guy got mugged? Useless lead weight is all it is
I understand gun control and such is a hot topic, but I don’t see why it has to get nasty and personal. Totally uncalled for, especially to a retired law enforcement (thank you for your years of service!) individual who not only deserves respect but also understands the issues with discharging weapons in a crowded urban environment better than anyone. Moral, prudent, responsible, well-trained citizens have every right to carry a firearm according to the constitution and supreme court.
Perhaps if @Jeff spent more time regulating downtown (cashing taxpayers’ pension checks not to work) and less time hiding behind a keyboard he wouldn’t elicit so many critical comments.
Tough talk on anonymous message boards deters zero stickup kids.
Campo,
As usual, what you wrote makes absolutely no sense. I don’t get a pension check. Where was I at 7 last Saturday, at home getting ready to join friends for dinner in Danville. It’s not easy to be in the exact spot when a crime occurs, but it has happened to me several times in the past, fortunately I did not have to shoot anyone.
Firestone 11R
there is a big price to pay to stop the crime: you will eventually shoot an innocent. you may get shot by police. but not for long. crime will stop the moment those thugs learn they are walking into a place where people and business and homeowners will defend themselves. there is a price to pay to feel safe. this is how i see it.
Corinne,
Here’s another perspective. I might have replied with the same info in another comment, but yes, an untrained individual with a handgun in an urban area is a menace. Just like the perps who are robbing people and have no regard for their victims. However, a well-trained individual will understand the dangers and not start firing randomly and understand they are not law enforcement or cowboys in the wild west. Ya gotta understand this is a deadly force scenario and there are many instances where the robber will shoot the victim even if they offer no resistance, sometimes as a negligent discharge. Maybe looking at the statistics for places where concealed carry is legal might provide a better perspective.
Personally, I feel that if more law abiding citizens had guns on them then they probably wouldn’t need to use them much at all because criminals would be more reluctant to mess with people.
24/680,
Funny how this one has not made the WCPD Facebook page. Yippie Ki Yay MF’s. 11R
I hate to say it, but that’s just one of the reasons why we moved from the Bay Area to Texas. We don’t see that or ‘snatch n grabs’ happening here!
Okay, we’re going to pipe up here as Mark suggests that the pro-gun stance of many in his chosen state has somehow led to a decrease in crime and casual gunplay and, well, we’re just not buying that. We like Texas and Texans, have family there, but you don’t have to look long or hard to realize that walkdowns and shootouts in the streets were better left in the Texas of the 1800s than today.
Wow. So nice to see “impartial” positions from our new sources. But hey, blood sells, why would you ever want law abiding citizens to stop crime? Oh wait you’d have no story?
These comments from News24 are a perfect example of why these thugs are so emboldened to terrorize innocent people in the Bay Area. Criminal apologists who refuse to acknowledge that people have a right to protect themselves from this terrorism. Thank God shall issue is now in effect across the land. The person who says this doesn’t happen in Texas is correct. An armed society is a polite society. An unarmed society is like a third world lawless country, as you’re repeatedly seeing. But I know I’ll never convince you ostriches. Go ahead and flame away.
No flame from here. I couldn’t agree more with you. I do see the other side of this where if someone, or some people, would have pulled out our their concealed firearm here and defended themselves from these terrorists that the situation could have ended much worse.
Not flaming, Sarah, but as someone who has had rounds snap by and who have had to fix (or try to fix) people who have been hit by said rounds we just can’t see where drawing a weapon and returning fire in a crowded? (not established, yet) restaurant would seem a well-conceived course of action. It might work in the movies, but all we’ve seen in real-life are innocent, horrifically wounded people calling for help. Thanks for writing.
We have? When did you last see people hit by rounds fired by a concealed carry, please show us some cases / incidents in the area.
Who the heck are you and what have you done with our news 24 680. Sorry but there is far too much speculative garbage in this thread. Please give me back my news 24 680 its previously higher intellect.
I must suggest whoever you are stop posting for 24/680.
“Please give me back my news 24 680 its previously higher intellect.”
You can’t even construct a proper sentence and you’re complaining about higher intellect?
The user name was the giveaway.
Bounty Hunter is 0.4 miles from the WCPD station. That’s a “4 minute drive” at pedestrian speeds, police (I assume) could get there in 1-2 minutes. These robberies are getting very bold and scary. How can 3 people pull a Pulp Fiction in downtown Walnut Creek and get away with it? The mayor and police chief should hold a press conference and tell us what they’re doing to mitigate these things from happening again. This is not the Walnut Creek I grew up in.
We stay away from Walnut Creek now. We’ve been a Broadway plaza twice now when it was robbed plus all the other times we read about.
The city has become too tolerant. I’ve heard the politicians become super liberal so they’re all kind of support this stuff. For some odd reason. I still don’t understand why criminals should be more protected than us innocent citizens.
24/680,
You’ll like this. I and my godson, San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff, had dinner at The Bounty Hunter a month ago, this could have turned out very differently.
Firestone 11R
Hello-
My name is Scott Andrews and I’m the General Manager of Bounty Hunter Wine and Spirits in Walnut Creek. I wanted to comment here to clarify some of the important details of this unfortunate incident. At approximately 7:00pm on Saturday night, a single guest leaving our restaurant was approached by 3 individuals in the parking lot BEHIND our restaurant. We immediately assisted the guest in contacting the police and are cooperating in trying to obtain the CCTV footage of the area from our landlord. Nothing occurred inside the restaurant or outdoor dining areas in relation to this incident. We are committed to the safety and security of all of our guests and businesses in the downtown area. We would appreciate an edit/retraction of the misrepresented facts of this story.
Think you just did that, Scott and thanks for checking in. Any and all details appreciated and still being sought by those who care to give them.
Thank you Mr. Andrews for providing clarity from on what transpired this past Saturday evening. Taking your comments at face value, I hope the perpetrators can be brought to justice sooner than later.
The uptick in these types of street crimes is of definite concern, especially since our once “safe harbors” do not appear to be immune from criminal activity.
And yet again, the “good guy with a gun” theory is raised once again by some. I did inquire in another post if we had anyone akin to Elijsha Dickens in the neighborhood. Adam Lankford of the University of Alabama has the done the comprehensive research.
Bounty hunter doesn’t have a parking lot. Can you please get some factual info from restaurant and wcpd and report what is factual. People are scared to go downtown to eat which is not helpful to businesses or residents.
As you should be able to see their manager just checked in with an update:
We spent time in downtown at about 9 PM on August 2, and it was refreshing to come across local residents just trying to get their errands done (at Target). We did keep a watchful eye as we have lost faith in the lack of safety in the downtown area. We know folks who during an innocent night dining on the town, got the daylights beaten out of them and their belongings and house keys snatched. In contrast to our August 2 experience, we have driven through the downtown area on several occasions during a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and I can assure you that the activity that we observed has led us to decide that we will never again dine there if the current behaviors are allowed to continue. Curious? Imagine the Tenderloin.
The Tenderloin in SF compared to downtown Walnut Creek? I can’t help but ask what activity you noticed in downtown WC to make you give a direct comparison to the Tenderloin. Did you see drugged up street workers, people shooting up heroin in broad daylight and obvious drug dealing on every corner in WC?
Sadly, I did, Peter. Wish this wasn’t the case, but I’ve now observed two persons high on meth, scratching and wiggling about, smelled and observed three gentlemen smoking pot in the parking lot next to sweetgreen,and one youngster with a needle. Locust is not what it used to be. Check it out for yourself after 10 PM on a Friday or Saturday. You might even get to witness a side show.
The usual suspects strike, again. But of course THAT cant be mentioned….
The usual tropes, again. Boring and trite.
24-680 news is pro crime folks. They said it here themselves. What the hell is happening to this city.
Absolutely. Matthew nailed it. We love being robbed and assaulted.
The parking lot is behind Bounty Hunter is also used by Va di Vi customers. Poorly lit, access to Mt D Blvd & Locust. Both rstaurants attract upscale clientele. Hunting ground for an armed robbery. When people decide they prioritize safety vs dining out in WC, maybe the WCPD will be both proactive & transparent about crime in WC.
Crime is everywhere, but some places are safer than others. Comfortable middle-class neighborhoods seem to be the safest. Upscale areas are being targeted for their wealth. Lower socio-economic areas have higher crime rates for obvious reasons. Hang out somewhere in the middle and lessen your chances.
An onslaught of truthiness from the expanding readership seems to have overwhelmed the local crime reporting.
One of the many television stories following news24/680s story yesterday featured a local man displaying his rolex and saying he felt safe wearing it locally. Lets hope so because these guys are definitely on the hunt and appear to be getting bolder.
Why did the original post say the robbery was inside the restaurant with multiple people robbed? That incorrect information went “viral” and even today I was with someone who asked about the robbery of many people IN the restaurant. Any robbery is bad, but the initial report caused more fear than needed and was not fair to the restaurant. Just my opinion.
We’ll just say – once again – that we were attempting to confirm information we’d had since Saturday, could find no official source willing to address it, and wrote CLEARLY that we were seeking definitive information from persons who had it. That information was added as soon as we had it and could confirm it, which came around mid-morning Wednesday. This is not the first time this has happened… we’ve had information of importance to the people of Walnut Creek, and beyond, on several occasions and could find no one to address it. The robbery was, what, 7 p.m. Saturday night? … why was no official notice made until after our story was written, on Wednesday, when it couldn’t be ignored, and the television cameras came calling? Seems to us that the latest in a string of high-profile armed robberies targeting specific individuals would warrant a caution from public officials, at least a mention. But that’s just… our opinion.
Just don’t move everything behind your paywall. Your too valuable a resource.
24/680,
Why? Because the social justice warriors of the WC City Council don’t want to admit that the city is not as safe as it once was and to mention that people of color are committing some of the crimes is just not woke.
11R
Can’t imagine that being the case.
I think it’s time we start profiling here in walnut creek. I own many businesses here and have grown up in near by orinda. This social justice naritive perpetrated by the liberals has done nothing but get more people killed are robbed. These people commiting these crimes are not from walnut creek. Also the whole carry argument is fine “gun controll” only stops law abiding citizens from having guns California and Chicago have two of the strictest gun laws in the county how is that all working out? We need to wake up and fix 5his shit while we can
Ryan, what would be the elements you would use to profile?
It’s so ridiculous it has to be by design. Capitalism is dying and the fed doesn’t have anymore money left to prop it up. Before the whole system implodes on its self the elite will let is thin our own heard. We must stop being so decisive and stand up to the people making bad government policy.
Thank you, News24-680 team, for all the hard work you do to keep us informed. Sorry it’s been so busy lately 🙁 I hope you don’t let the negativity in the comment threads here get you down.
Thanks, Allie, not your fault it has been busy but it has been busy. The rest of it is all part of the job and expected… be well.
I also wish to thank you for keeping us well informed. It’s not all pretty news, and it sounds like some would rather sweep the events under the rug. Having lived in cities that did just that, the decrease in crime they seemingly wished would self-resolve quickly resulted in unmanageable criminal activity and blight. I’ve lived and invested in this area for many years, and this is not what I want for our residents and local businesses.
@Jeff – Why did LASD revoke your pension benefits? Typically LEO pensions are only revoked due to serious misconduct.
Campo,
I was a reserve, Designated Level I, which means having the same powers as full time paid LEO’s. I did it all for $1 a year.
11R
Time and place considerations please.