Suspect No. 3 ID'd In Stoneridge Mall Robberies

PLEASANTON, CA - Oakland police this morning detained a person who investigators believe is a third suspect in two robberies over the weekend at a shopping center in Pleasanton, a police sergeant said.

Pleasanton police Sgt. Larry Cox said late this morning that detectives were on their way to Oakland to interview the person to confirm that he is the third suspect in the robberies at the Stoneridge Shopping Center at 1 Stoneridge Mall Road in Pleasanton.

Officers have been working “tirelessly” on the case because “it’s causing an uproar a little bit” because few robberies occur at the mall, Cox said.

Oakland police on Tuesday arrested two juvenile suspects in the robberies, which occurred in the mall’s parking lot. Police are withholding the suspects’ identities because they are juveniles.

The first robbery occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday when a 17-year-old girl was walking with her friends to her parked car, police said.

Three male suspects approached the girl and began speaking with her and her friends. When the girl walked away, one of the suspects struck the girl in the face, pushed her to the ground and grabbed her purse, according to police.

One of the suspects was seen holding a long black stick or piece of metal, possibly a long gun.

The second robbery occurred at 1:28 p.m. Sunday when a 63-year-old woman was standing next to her vehicle and three male suspects approached her. One of the suspects grabbed the woman’s purse while another brandished a firearm, possibly a shotgun or rifle, police said.

The woman fell to the ground as she struggled to hold on to her purse. One of the suspects then kicked the woman in the back before they fled in a cream-colored Mercedes SUV, according to police. The vehicle was last seen heading west on Interstate Highway 580.

The suspects in both robberies were described as three black males in their late teens or early 20s, all with medium builds and all wearing dark-colored clothing, police said. Police said they have increased patrols around the mall.

Previous:

• Stoneridge Mall Parking Lot Robberies Possibly Linked: Suspect Sketch Released
• Second Violent Purse-Snatching Reported In Two Days In Stoneridge Mall Lot
• Teen Punched, Robbed Of Purse Outside Stoneridge Mall

--Bay City News/File photo