Between December of 2022 and February of 2023, San José Police Department Robbery Unit Detectives investigated a string of armed and strong-armed robberies in which the suspects appeared to be targeting the AAPI community.
The suspects were responsible for 13 robberies, five grand thefts, and countless vehicle burglaries throughout the Bay Area.
In a coordinated effort with the San Pablo Police Department, the Santa Clara Police Department, and the Stockton Police Department, Detectives identified the suspects and obtained warrants for their arrest, in addition to search warrants for their residences.
Suspects:
- Joel Contreras Barron, 26 of City of Antioch
- Francisco Rincon, 28 of City of Richmond
- Juan Rodriquez-Ramirez, 26 of City of Richmond
On February 25, 2023 Suspect Rodriguez-Ramirez was arrested by Stockton Police for robbery and remains in custody.
On April 14, 2023, a string of vehicle burglaries happened in quick succession at the Grand Century Mall. SJPD responded and located the associated suspect vehicle. With the assistance of SJPD Air Support, Patrol Officers took suspect Contreras Barron into custody for the vehicle burglaries and his outstanding arrest warrant.
On April 26, 2023, SJPD’s Covert Response Unit (CRU) located and arrested suspect Rincon in the city of Richmond. Through subsequent searches, Detectives recovered various pieces of stolen property, approximately $6,000 in cash, high capacity magazines, and ammunition. The suspects were booked at Santa Clara County Main Jail and San Joaquin County Jail on multiple felony charges.
Anyone with information about these cases or similar cases is asked to contact Detective Yee #4342 of the San José Police Robbery Unit via email: [email protected] or 408-277-4166.
Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program. (Source)
