Armed robbers struck Davis once again Tuesday night, this time carjacking two women as they were parking their vehicle on Alvarado Avenue, according to a Davis Police Department crime alert.
The robbery is the city’s eighth in the past seven weeks. Three have involved carjackings — one attempted and two successful.
Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel. Enterprise file photo
“We clearly have been a target,” Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said Wednesday as he outlined his agency’s response to the crimes, which include increased nighttime patrols, cooperative investigations with neighboring police agencies and a proposed boost to surveillance technology in the city.
“We’re severely concerned about the increase in the use of guns” during the spree of robberies, the majority of which have involved young female victims, Pytel added. “It’s concerning, and we need to take strong measures now to stop it, because they’re becoming more dangerous and brazen than ever.”
The latest incident occurred at about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 1200 block of Alvarado Avenue. According to the crime alert, the women were just exiting their parked car when a man got out of a white Honda Odyssey minivan and approached the driver’s side of their vehicle.
“The suspect pointed a handgun at the victims and demanded they leave behind their keys and cell phones,” the crime alert said. He then took the victims’ car, a silver 2007 Audi four-door sedan with the license-plate number 5VBZ037, and fled westbound on Alvarado Avenue near Sycamore Lane.
No injuries were reported.
Witnesses reported that the Audi was followed by the Honda minivan, which had an additional three suspects inside. Police later determined that the van had been reported stolen out of Woodland shortly before the Davis crime.
The suspects — and the vehicles — remained at large as of Wednesday afternoon. Police described them as:
* Suspect 1: Black or Hispanic male adult, 5-foot-10, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and a black bandanna covering his face, armed with a small silver handgun.
* Suspect 2: Hispanic male adult, 5-foot-6, with a light complexion and wearing an unknown color bandanna.
* Suspect 3: Black male adult with a tall, thin build.
Police said they had no available description of the fourth suspect. All four are considered to be armed and dangerous, however, and anyone with information about their whereabouts is urged to contact the Davis Police Department at 530-747-5400.
“We strongly recommend that community members remain vigilant,” police said in the crime alert, which noted the recent rash of armed robberies and carjackings. They included one attempted carjacking and one completed one on Halloween night. Police later recovered the stolen vehicle in Woodland and arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with that incident.
Whether Tuesday’s carjacking is related to the Halloween crimes remains under investigation.
However, “there seems to be an obvious connection to Woodland,” said Pytel, whose agency has been working closely with the Woodland Police Department to investigate the crimes. “It appears there is a gang connection. We’re actively investigating that and have solid investigative leads.”
The robberies also are being investigated by the newly formed Yolo County Crime Task Force — a multi-agency effort involving members of all seven of the county’s law-enforcement agencies that focuses on major crime trends.
Locally, Pytel has dedicated most of his department’s investigative unit to the crime series, and patrol resources have shifted to saturate the city, concentrating on the late night/early morning hours when the robberies tend to occur.
Surveillance cameras previously authorized by the Davis City Council will be placed at strategic locations “so that we can monitor the areas where the activity has been primarily occurring,” said Pytel, who plans to ask the council for additional surveillance resources at its Dec. 3 meeting.
Pytel said those resources would include additional cameras placed within the city to serve as crime deterrents, as well as technology that would enable Davis police to access the databases of surrounding law-enforcement agencies, working with them to share live-time crime data.
Meanwhile, police reiterated the importance of citizens remaining aware of their surroundings when going out at night, as many of the victims were targeted while out walking in the dark, and oftentimes alone. Among their safety tips:
* Avoid walking alone late in the evening hours.
* If you must walk alone, avoid dark unpopulated areas.
* Avoid using or being distracted by your cellphone while in public.
* Cooperate if you are confronted by an armed or potentially armed person; property can always be replaced.
* Report suspicious people or behavior.
* Activate tracking software on phones and electronic devices.
Pytel noted with relief that none of the robbery victims have suffered any significant physical injuries, despite the violent nature of the crimes.
“All of our victims have taken our best advice, which is to turn over their property, comply and let them (the suspects) go,” Pytel said. “That continues to be our best advice.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene