Two Women, Both 18, Charged With Assault And Robbery In Walnut Creek Incident

From the Office of the District Attorney

Martinez, California – Two 18-year-old women have been charged by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office with assaulting and robbing a man in Walnut Creek.

The incident occurred on August 7th around 11:00 pm in a supermarket parking lot in the 1900 block of Tice Valley Boulevard near Rossmoor. The victim, a 62-year-old Walnut Creek resident, was sitting in the passenger seat of a van while his partner shopped inside the store.

Jaycee Whitney Chamberlain Behnke of Walnut Creek, Antonina “Hunter” Abdulwajid of Concord, and two juveniles drove up to the victim’s van and circled it multiple times. When the victim got out and walked toward their car, which had stopped nearby, one of the juveniles jumped out and attacked him. Abdulwajid and the other juvenile then joined the assault, punching and kicking the victim until he fell to the ground, where he was kicked repeatedly by one of the juveniles.

Video footage and witness statements confirmed the attack, which left the victim injured and resulted in the theft of his personal property. While Walnut Creek Police investigated the incident, an officer spotted the suspects’ vehicle less than half a mile away. All four suspects were arrested and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and Contra Costa Juvenile Hall. The juvenile cases will proceed confidentially through Juvenile Court.

Abdulwajid and Behnke were both charged with second-degree robbery [PC 211] and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury [PC 245(a)(4)]. Abdulwajid was arraigned today at 1:30 pm in Contra Costa Superior Court in Martinez, and Behnke was arraigned on August 12th. Both have a bail amount set at $80,000. A preliminary hearing has been set for August 22nd at 8:30 am in Department 22 in Pittsburg. If convicted, both women could face a maximum of six years in state prison.

“Everyone deserves to live in safe and secure communities,” said Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton. “The collaborative work between Walnut Creek Police and my office demonstrates our unwavering commitment to holding accountable those who threaten the safety of others.”