San Jose Mall Robbery Suspect Identified
SAN JOSE (BCN) -- San Jose police have identified a man who allegedly stormed into the Westfield Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara with a rifle last week and robbed a store at gunpoint before stealing a car at knifepoint nearby.
On Thursday night, a suspect wearing a trench coat entered a Men's Wearhouse store inside the mall and allegedly stole an undisclosed amount of cash by demanding it from a sales clerk at gunpoint, police said.
After leaving the store, the suspect allegedly carjacked a victim at knifepoint on Cecil Avenue, police said. He stole a white Nissan Altima with license plate number 6NDA586.
The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Joseph Jenkins. Jenkins is described as 5 feet 11 inches, 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He is a transient, and police believe he is armed and dangerous.
He is being sought by San Jose and Santa Clara police because the mall sits on a border between the two cities.
Earlier in the evening, Jenkins allegedly pointed a rifle at a sales clerk at a Club Monaco store inside the mall and demanded money, but he didn't finish the robbery, police said.
He next made his way to a parking garage near a Nordstrom store where he attempted to carjack a woman at gunpoint, but he also didn't finish the carjacking, police said.
Jenkins also tried to steal a car from a parking lot near a Wells Fargo bank but was unsuccessful there as well, according to police.
Anyone with information about Jenkins is asked to call Detective Hutson of the San Jose Police Department's robbery unit at (408) 277-4166, or Sgt. Clarke of the Santa Clara Police Department at (408) 615-4828.
Those who wish to remain anonymous can call the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867).
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