Suspects in Lafayette Taco Bell robbery crash car with young boy in vehicle during police pursuit
Police in the East Bay arrested two robbery suspects after they allegedly robbed a Lafayette Taco Bell and led police on a high-speed pursuit with a 7-year-old boy in the vehicle that ended in a collision, authorities said.
Wednesday afternoon at around 2 p.m., police officers in Lafayette responded to a report of a robbery at a Taco Bell located on the 3500 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard.
"First, he tried to buy food, but he just had $3. So we just gave him a glass of water and after that he tried to get money from us," Taco Bell manager Josue Cambrano told CBS News Bay Area.
Cambrano said a man came in while a female driver stayed in their vehicle. Cambrano recalled the man was wearing a face mask and hoodie and was possibly armed with a gun.
"He was just trying to show us that he had a gun, but we don't really know if he had a gun or not," he said.
Police identified the suspect vehicle and determined it was involved in armed robberies in Solano and Marin Counties earlier in the day.
A short time later, a Lafayette officer spotted the suspect vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 24. The vehicle fled from police at a high rate of speed, leading the officer on a pursuit that went west on Camino Pablo toward El Sobrante.
The pursuit continued past where Camino Pablo turns into San Pablo Dam Road. Past Bear Creek Rd., the suspect vehicle apparently lost traction and collided with another car traveling in the opposite direction.
An ambulance responded to the scene of the collision, but authorities did not have information regarding any injuries. The Contra Costa Sheriff's Office confirmed the driver of the vehicle that was struck on San Pablo Dam Rd. was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Police said the two occupants in the suspect vehicle -- identified as 24-year-old Oakland resident Jajuan Ojeda and 39-year-old Sacramento resident Aevra Traylor -- were taken into custody. Officers also found a 7-year-old boy in the suspect vehicle who turned out to be the child of the driver.
Ojeda and Traylor were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and are facing charges that include robbery, felony evasion, and child endangerment. Both also had multiple warrants for their arrest.
Authorities said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.