Suspect In String Of East Bay Robberies Arrested
HAYWARD (BCN) - A man who might be responsible for more than 20 East Bay robberies was arrested in Hayward on Monday night, police said Wednesday.
Officers responded at 8:55 p.m. Monday to a Walgreens at 164 W. Jackson St., where a distraught employee reported being robbed at gunpoint, Hayward police Lt. Roger Keener said.
The employee described a man who matched the description of a suspect in three recent robberies at Walgreens stores in Hayward, Keenan said.
A gold Buick was believed to be connected to those crimes. An officer responding to Monday's robbery spotted a similar car heading west on Jackson Street and followed it onto Interstate Highway 880 before pulling it over near Industrial Parkway, police said.
A passenger in the car was detained and later identified by the Walgreens clerk as the man who robbed the store, Keenan said.
The suspect and a female who was driving the car were booked into jail on robbery charges, police said.
Investigators said the suspect has since confessed to committing eight armed robberies at various businesses in Hayward, including the four Walgreens stores.
"We have four Walgreens in our town," Keenan said. "He hit all four."
Police believe the suspect could be responsible for more than 20 armed robberies in Fremont, San Leandro and Alameda County, Keenan said.
Police are withholding the suspect's name, citing several ongoing investigations.
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