Antioch Police identify El Cerrito man as suspect in Monday shooting death of gas station clerk

Zepp Crouchet, age 42 of El Cerrito, deceased. Photo from Antioch Police.

By Lt. D. Bittner #3252, Antioch Police Investigations Unit

The deceased suspect in the shooting death of a Valero gas station clerk on Monday night in Antioch, has been identified as 42-year-old Zepp Crouchet of El Cerrito. A patrol officer shot Crouchet in the torso, who fled the scene on foot and was not initially located.

Just prior to the patrol officer intervening, the suspect had beaten and shot the victim causing fatal injuries. The firearm used by the suspect was recovered at the scene. The victim was the gas station clerk and has been identified as 57-year-old Mohammad Jawad Ataie.

Tuesday morning, the suspect was located deceased near his vehicle which was parked in the 100 block of W. 20th Street in Antioch. It appears that the suspect fled the scene of the robbery and homicide in his vehicle and stopped at that location for unknown reasons.

Crouchet received a Contra Costa County Adult School Diploma in 2006 from the County Board  of Education.  http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/supe/06mtgs/m060118.pdf

In a comment on his Facebook page on Feb. 5 of this year, he wrote, “man you gotta come see all 7 of my new whips bro i been working for the ironworkers many yrs now im a Welder best job you can ever have the pay is cap at 42 hr…god is good.”

According to The Mercury News, “in 2004, Crouchet was charged with three counts of robbery, one count of burglary, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm. In 2006, he took a plea deal and was sentenced to six years in prison, with around two years credit for time served.”

Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to call Detective James Colley with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6922. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.


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Zepp Crouchet


22 Comments to “Antioch Police identify El Cerrito man as suspect in Monday shooting death of gas station clerk”

  1. Victor Longmire says:

    Justice served.

  2. Sherra says:

    This thug had quite a record. Good riddance. Poor innocent hard working man he beat the crap out of and shot him.

  3. R. , Jb says:

    Zepp was just trying to feed his family of 11 kids. Zepp wanted a Mercedes just like everyone else and a 5 bedroom home. We need to get together and give his family money because zepp was just working hard to feed them. It’s not fair that everyone has a 5 bedroom home with a pool and a Mercedes and a BMW. Zepp wanted a private jet, that’s not absurd at all. The real victim here is Zepp.

    Who is Mohammad Atwei? Sounds like a 1 per enter that had tons of money he should have shared.

    • davethewave says:

      R jb you as much of a loser as your now dead friend Zepp

    • davethewave says:

      Rjb says:Zepp was just trying to feed his family of 11 kids.

      Really?Then go stand at an intersection with A sign.
      You’re disgusting

    • Antoinette says:

      Are u f’n serious!!!….ur trippen. You dont need to beat and kill another human being to feed yo kids. If you cant feed them dont have them for one thing and another get a fuckn job like the gas station guy and make ends meet. I would only help this mfs family

    • Antoinette says:

      Family with money for funeral expenses because it is not they fault for the bad choices he made.

    • Antoinette says:

      Its about time antioch police actually use they gun for the right reason!!#

  4. Just a thought says:

    He was a convicted felon – what was he doing out? That’s the better question. He’s a worthless piece of crap. Karma baby. The world is a notch better upon his exit.

  5. Just a thought says:

    We have got to put these people away and not let them out. This weekend, Contra Costa was plagued by these two individuals who bailed out or were let out just to wreak havoc on unsuspecting residents. A mother lost two boys and a family their father. These individuals were both losers. They were convicted and took plea deals. We have got to have these laws mean something. They know they can just get out and begin their mayhem again. Put them away.

    • Rjb says:

      Good point. Also good to note the underlying similarities between the two scumbags.

      • Just a thought says:

        That was exactly my point. Let’s connect the dots. Too many innocent people are dying at the hands of these people who don’t care one iota for themselves, their families or anyone else. Total disregard for life. They are so oppressed. Work hard and live the dream – quit taking it away from others – you losers.

        • Rjb says:

          Here’s an even scarier thought, some people would rather put their own life and the lives of their family at risk, before speaking up and saying something that is not politically correct. That’s the underlying fear in Antioch and many of the cities where section 8 has run out of control.

          Welcome to Antioch and the future of America.

      • davethewave says:

        Rjb says: Good point. Also good to note the underlying similarities between the two scumbags.
        What’s that supposed to mean?

    • Sherra says:

      I agree with you. California has made a statement by not taking crime seriously, especially in the last election that marked down some serious felonies to mere misdemeanors. The number one function of government is to keep it’s members safe. Instead, California puts other factors ahead of safety. Until voters start to vote for govt officials that take safety seriously, we will have this problem just get worse.

  6. Linda says:

    If he was making $42 per hour, he had no business robbing and killing someone who makes a lot less. No reason is good enough to be killing an innocent man, anyway, even if he did need to feed his family.

    • Just a thought says:

      Called GREED and the fact that he ravaged Antioch without any repercussions was the other. But, he found out that came to an end real quick!! Glad that officer was in the right place at the right time. So, sad and sorry for the loss of an innocent life.

  7. Renee Sparks says:

    I want to thank the Antioch Police man for doing an outstanding job. I’m so sorry for the loss of the hard working family man.

  8. Simply a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw outstanding style and design. “Better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad.” by Christina Georgina Rossetti.

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