Jury Convicts Oakland Man For Countywide String Of High-Value Watch Robberies

From the Office of the District Attorney:

Martinez, California – A Contra Costa County jury has found a 27-year-old Oakland man guilty of four counts of armed robbery for high-value watches and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The District Attorney’s Office charged Shane Ivan Downs with seven felonies related to a series of armed robberies that took place in 2020 and 2021.

Downs was convicted of the charges on Sept. 18.

In each incident, Downs followed his victims from a public place to their homes, where he robbed them at gunpoint. The stolen items were high-end watches, ranging in value from $3,500 to $15,000. To conceal his identity, Downs would mask his face and head.

On April 18, 2021, Downs followed a victim from Walnut Creek to her home in Oakley, where he brandished a handgun and stole her Rolex watch. Later that day, he followed another victim from Walnut Creek to Concord, where he pointed a gun at the victim’s head, struck them, and robbed them of a Panerai Luminor watch.

On May 24th, Downs followed a third victim from Danville to Walnut Creek – who he robbed at gunpoint of their Rolex watch. A few days later, on May 30th, Downs followed yet another victim from a shopping area in Walnut Creek to his home, where he again used a firearm to steal a Tag Heuer watch.

The case against Downs was built through vehicle information, search warrants, cell phone records, and surveillance. Despite a similar mode of operation to the four other robberies, the jury did not find sufficient evidence to convict Downs of charges stemming from a July 2020 robbery in Orinda.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kevin Cunnane, who said: “We are pleased the evidence presented resulted in the Defendant being held accountable for these dangerous robberies.”

Downs faces potentially significant state prison time for his offenses. On November 15, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in Martinez, The Honorable Charles Burch will determine Downs’s sentence for his criminal conviction.