Suspect Arrested In Armed Robberies Targeting Marin County Female Shoppers
SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) -- A 33-year-old Richmond man has been arrested for a series of brazen armed robberies of female shoppers in their 60s and 70s in San Rafael and Novato.
San Rafael police said Deshawn Ford-Howard was booked into the Marin County Jail for robbery, false imprisonment, burglary, elder abuse, and unlawful use of an access card.
Investigators said that on Feb. 10, a 74-year-old woman was leaving the Dollar Tree store in San Rafael when a suspect -- later identified as Ford-Howard -- approached her as she got into her vehicle. The suspect then pointed a firearm at the victim's face and told her to give him her purse, or he would kill her. The victim complied, and the suspect fled the area in a dark-colored sedan.
San Rafael detectives learned that Novato police had two similar cases on February 18th and the 24th. In those cases, Novato investigators were able to obtain photographs of the suspect vehicle utilizing their camera system.
The suspect vehicle, a black Kia Optima, had false plates during both of Novato robberies. Both of Novato's victims were females over the age of 65 and of small stature.
Over the course of several days, investigators also obtained video surveillance footage from three locations where the suspect used the victim's credit cards.
At one of the locations, the suspect removed his mask, and still photographs were obtained. They were distributed to neighboring police departments and Ford-Howard was identified as the suspect.
Ford-Howard has an extensive criminal history, including assault and numerous firearms-related arrests.
A tip led detectives to Novato where Ford-Howard was arrested without incident on Thursday.