The California Department of Justice released the names of three suspects who allegedly committed dozens of retail robberies from Solano County to San Diego between September and November last year.
Quinn Jamari Edwards, Alejandro de Jesus McDonald and Robert Lee Johnson were charged this week with 104 felony and misdemeanor counts of various crimes related to retail thefts, including burglary, vandalism, weapons charges, and selling and receiving stolen goods.
The most publicized of their alleged thefts was the ramming of a stolen Land Rover into the Louis Vuitton store in Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza just before 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 3. An estimated dozen people made off with more than $246,000 worth of merchandise.
Law enforcement officials said the suspects are responsible for stealing at least $650,000 in cash and merchandise.
The suspects are also accused of using vehicles to ram into law enforcement vehicles, injuring at least one officer. They also allegedly ripped at least one ATM from its moorings to get to the cash inside.
Most of the burglaries were committed in high-end retail stores, smoke shops and liquor stores in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, but others occurred in Solano, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties and in San Diego.
“Organized retail crime is a top priority for our California DOJ, for my team and for me,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said during a press conference Wednesday. “We’re not just here to talk about it, we’re here to do something about it, to act, as our action shows today.”
Edwards faces 47 counts, including burglary, vandalism. attempted burglary, grant theft, and receiving stolen property. He also faces three special allegations related to a prior violent robbery, allegedly committing theft of assets exceeding $100,000, and committing robberies while on probation.
McDonald faces 25 counts of various crimes, including burglary, vandalism, attempted burglary, receipt of stolen property, grand theft, carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm in public, organized retail theft, and conspiracy to commit organized retail theft.
McDonald is also accused of unlawfully entering a San Diego Nordstrom and stealing six Chanel purses valued at $120,000. He also faces two special allegations for prior convictions and being on probation while allegedly committing the crimes.
Johnson faces 32 counts of alleged burglary, vandalism, attempted burglary, grand theft, receipt of stolen property, organized retail theft, conspiracy to commit organized retail theft, and reckless evading for a Nov. 14 police chase in Solano County.
The investigation involved a task force from the Concord, Walnut Creek, Oakland, Brentwood, and Tracy police departments and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Bonta said a legislative change made by Assembly Bill 1613 in 2022 allows the attorney general to charge crimes committed in different jurisdictions to be charged in one county, in this case Contra Costa County.
Nothing will happen to them, probably in a protected class. Anyway they are just stealing food to feed their families and the designer bags fell into the groceries.
4am is when you get the best sales price
I saw the headline and was hoping federal, state, and local governments would finally get shut down. Most of it, of all political persuasions, seems structured to fleece our pockets. The political name calling and battles is all about getting to control whose pockets that fleeced money flows into.