3 suspects arrested in Bay Area crime spree targeting Asian Americans
SAN JOSE -- Three suspects -- two from Richmond and the third from Antioch -- have been arrested in string of armed and strong-armed robberies across the Bay Area targeting the AAPI community dating back to December 2022, San Jose police announced on Monday.
Investigators said 26-year-old Joel Contreras Barron, 28-year-old Francisco Rincon and 26-year-old Juan Rodriguez-Ramirez were being held in jail on robbery, burglary and grand theft charges.
It was the third time in less than a month that San Jose police announced arrests in robberies targeting the AAPI community.
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- San Jose police arrest 2 in string of strong-arm robberies targeting AAPI community
Between December of 2022 and February of 2023, San Jose detectives investigated a string of armed and strong-armed robberies in which the suspects appeared to be targeting the AAPI community.
The suspects were allegedly responsible for 13 robberies, five grand thefts and countless vehicle burglaries throughout the Bay Area.
In a coordinated effort with the San Pablo, Santa Clara and Stockton police departments, detectives identified the suspects and obtained warrants for their arrest in addition to search warrants for their homes.
On April 14th, a string of vehicle burglaries took place in quick succession at the Grand Century Mall in the Little Saigon neighborhood of San Jose. Police said officers responded and located the suspect vehicle. With the assistance of air support, officers took Contreras into custody in connection with the vehicle burglaries.
On April 26th, Barron and Rincon were located in Richmond. Through subsequent searches, detectives recovered various pieces of stolen property, approximately $6,000 in cash, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition.
Anyone with information about these cases or similar cases is asked to contact Detective Yee #4342 of the San Jose Police Robbery Unit via email: 4342@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4166.
