2 Men, 5 Teens Arrested After Violent South Bay Crime Spree
SANTA CLARA COUNTY (CBS SF) -- Two adults and five teenagers from San Jose were arrested in connection with a robbery spree on Tuesday evening in Santa Clara, San Jose and Campbell that left multiple victims with minor to serious injuries, police said.
The robberies happened between 5:50 p.m. and 11:04 p.m., with the first four being just minutes apart. The suspects targeted a female victim in a parking lot at Target in Santa Clara, an elderly woman in a Safeway parking lot in Santa Clara, a woman in a Safeway parking lot in San Jose and a security guard at a Safeway in Campbell.
The first three victims suffered minor injuries, while the security guard was struck in the face with the muzzle of a rifle and suffered moderate injuries, according to police.
Police said the suspects drove away a stolen light-blue Toyota Rav4 after stealing two purses and attempting to steal a third, leaving behind a trail of terrified victims.
At 10:58 p.m., the suspects tried to rob a man at Salsbury and Toyon drives in Santa Clara after pointing a handgun at his face and demanding his wallet.
The victim grabbed the gun, according to police, and was assaulted by the suspects as he yelled for help. The man suffered major injuries and the suspects left the area in the car without taking his wallet.
While the apparent goal of the rampage was robbery, the result was often sheer terror.
"This group went from one parking lot, shopping center area to the next and indiscriminately selected victims -- in some cases, elderly victims," said Santa Clara Police Capt. Wahid Kazem.
The last robbery took place shortly after 11 p.m. in the area of Newhall and Maria streets in Santa Clara. The suspects pointed a gun at a man, demanded his property and fled the area with his cellphone.
Police apprehended the suspects after a car chase that began at 1:48 a.m. on southbound San Tomas Expressway at El Camino Real. The chase ended when a suspect crashed the Toyota into a guardrail while driving onto northbound U.S. Highway 101 from East Santa Clara Street, according to police. All seven suspects were inside the car.
Jonathan Barrigaramirez and Alejandro Mendoza, both 18, were arrested for allegedly committing three robberies, three attempted robberies and an assault with a deadly weapon.
Kazem said the juveniles involved in the robberies and attempted robberies were 14, 15, 16 and two of them were 17.
"We are seeing more and more violent crime committed by juveniles," Kazem said. "These crimes are very violent, they're intentional and I don't quite know what within our society has gotten to the point where we're seeing juveniles commit these types of crimes."
Anyone with information about the robberies and attempted robberies is asked to contact Sgt. Nick Richards at (408) 615-4814 or Detective Bill Lutz at (408) 615-4820.
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