Two 18-year-old Antioch men arrested in smash and grab Antioch Jewelers robbery
Thanks to witness info, technology and detective work
Both held on $100,000 bail
By Lt. Michael Mellone, Antioch Police Department
ANTIOCH, Calif. — The Antioch Police Department has arrested two 18-year-old Antioch residents following an investigation into the August 31 robbery of Antioch Jewelers on Wild Horse Road off Hillcrest Avenue.
At approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 31, Antioch Police officers responded to Antioch Jewelers after two masked suspects entered the business. One suspect sprayed the store owner with pepper spray while the second used a hammer to smash a glass jewelry display case. The suspects removed trays of jewelry and fled from the business.
An important break in the case came from witnesses who observed the suspects and their getaway vehicle. One witness was able to obtain the vehicle’s license plate and provide that information to police. That information, combined with investigative work by responding officers and the Antioch Police Department’s automated license plate reader system, helped investigators quickly develop leads associated with the suspect vehicle.
Later that day, officers and detectives located the suspect vehicle parked and unoccupied in Antioch. The vehicle was seized as evidence as detectives continued working to identify those responsible.
The following morning, September 1, Antioch Police detectives continued pursuing leads developed during the investigation and located 18-year-old Adrian Ramel Cortez in Antioch (born 11/22/2007). Detectives conducted surveillance as Cortez traveled through the city before coordinating with uniformed officers to take him into custody near West 4th and K streets.
At the time of Cortez’s arrest, officers recovered a significant amount of jewelry from a bag he was carrying. The store owner later identified the recovered jewelry as property taken during the robbery. Officers also discovered a concealed .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun in Cortez’s possession following his arrest.
Detectives continued working the case after the first arrest. Additional investigative efforts led them to identify 18-year-old Zaimarri Tylann Williams of Antioch (born 3/16/2008) as the second suspect. On September 10, Antioch Police detectives served a search warrant at an Antioch residence as part of the continuing robbery investigation. Williams was located during the operation and taken into custody. Detectives also collected additional evidence associated with the investigation.
Cortez and Williams were arrested in connection with the robbery and are accused of violations including robbery (PC 211) and felony vandalism (PC 594(b)(1)).
This investigation highlights the value of community cooperation, technology, and persistent investigative work. The witness who recognized the importance of obtaining the suspect vehicle’s license plate provided officers with a critical piece of information at the very beginning of the investigation. APD’s automated license plate reader system helped detectives build upon that information, and investigators continued developing evidence that led to the identification and arrests of both suspects.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Arturo Becerra at (925) 779-6937 or email abecerra@antiochca.gov.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Case No.: 26-8297
According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the five-foot, eight-inch tall, 145-pound Cortez is non-Hispanic, but also listed as unknown, and is being held in a Custody Alternative Facility on $100,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 8:30 a.m. in Dep’t. 5 in Martinez.
According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the five-foot, 11-inch tall 160-pound Williams is non-Hispanic, but also listed as Black, and is being held in the Martinez Detention Facility also on $100,000 bail.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
the attachments to this post:
Antioch Jewelers photo APD
APD & Crime Scene Do Not Cross – Robbery Arrests
