Three Males Arrested in Connection with Carjacking

Police are questioning two juvenile Tracy residents arrested this morning suspected of carjacking a truck and fleeing to the San Ramon Target store, along with a third arrested earlier who is believed to be connected with the incident.

At about 8:30 a.m., a San Ramon police officer patrolling the southwest area of the residential neighborhood on Westside Drive spotted two males walking from a house, according to Sgt. Mike Boehrer.

The subjects "looked somewhat suspicious" because they began fleeing as soon as the officer on routine duty saw them, Boherer said.

"(The officer) didn't know what they were running from so he started following them," he said.

As more officers came to the area, they came across a car that was being driven slowly through the neighborhood. Officers detained the driver and found that the vehicle had been carjacked from Tracy earlier, according to Boehrer.

The two subjects on foot continued to flee and stopped northbound traffic on Interstate 680. They got into a passing truck on the freeway and exited on Bollinger Canyon Road. Officers found the truck and driver in the Target parking lot; the driver said that he did not know the suspects and that he voluntarily gave them the ride off the freeway.

The chase ended when the two suspects entered the Target store at 2610 Bishop Drive. Police evacuated the store, found the men hiding inside and took them into custody between 9 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. for carjacking, Boehrer said.

Other charges for the two suspects arrested at Target and the subject arrested earlier with the Tracy vehicle are still pending.

Two of the suspects were also wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for escaping from a juvenile justice center in San Joaquin County. All three suspects were booked at Juvenile Hall

Police believe the three men were working together and could not release descriptions due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

"We're guessing that they were here for burglaries, we think they were getting ready to break into a house," Boehrer said. "There's a possibility that they are wanted escapees or from correctional facilities in the state our county."

No Target employees or customers were injured during incident and operations resumed as usual, according to Target spokesperson Bethany Zucco, adding that the store is working very closely with law enforcement officials on the investigation.

"I believe it's an isolated incident but of course we'll continue to prioritize the safety and security of our team members and our guests," Zucco said.

Residents are being urged to be more vigilant. "The suspects were in the area of Westside Drive knocking on doors of residences seemingly to discover if the residents were home," said San Ramon Police Lt. Dan Pratt. "This is becoming a common method of identifying homes to burglarize. If nobody answers the door, the suspects may force entry into the house. Residents are encouraged to continue to report suspicious persons in their neighborhood"

In this case, added Pratt, an alert resident assisted in the capture of these three criminals by reporting the suspicious activity.