Campus police investigated an armed robbery through the holiday weekend and continued to work the case today (Feb. 22), but, as of early this afternoon, had not tracked down the second of two suspects.
Police had not yet identified the man, but, from witness statements, believe he has “678” tattooed on his neck. He should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.
He and his accomplice robbed four men at gunpoint early Sunday (Feb. 20) outside the Nu Alpha Kappa fraternity house after being asked to leave a party there, according to police. The suspects did not injure anyone physically.
The NAK house is on the campus, on Parkway Circle near the northwest corner of La Rue and Orchard roads, kitty-corner from the Activities and Recreation Center.
Capt. Joyce Souza said police had interviewed about a dozen witnesses, including some who had returned to the San Francisco Bay Area. Investigators showed photo lineups, Souza said, and are attempting to reconcile witness statements.
In addition, she said, campus officers are working with the Soledad Police Department. Daniel Chavez, 19, already jailed in connection with the armed robbery, is from Soledad (Monterey County). He and his accomplice are believed to be gang members, according to the campus Police Department.
The suspects had arrived at the NAK house as part of a group of men, all uninvited and unknown to the party hosts, and started causing trouble, according to police. Outside, Chavez and the other suspect approached two ٺƵ students and two other men, produced a gun and robbed them, police said.
The suspects then stole a car — using a key with a remote opening device that one of them had grabbed from a table inside the house, according to police. The suspects pressed the button on the remote, listened for the vehicle that beeped — and thereby found the car that went with the key.
But the getaway car never made it off Parkway Circle, crashing into a wooden fence at the La Rue Child Development Center less than a block from the fraternity.
Police said they nabbed Chavez at the crash site; he was not injured. Officers booked him at the Yolo County Jail on charges of conspiracy and committing a felony while on bail. His arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 24) in Superior Court.
The other man got away on foot.
One of the suspects threw a gun over the daycare center's fence, police said, and officers recovered the weapon from the playground on the other side. Investigation revealed that this gun may not be the one that was used in the robbery, leading officers to consider the possibility of a second gun — and that the at-large suspect may have it.
University officials twice activated the emergency notification system (read more about WarnMe below), sending out alerts via text, e-mail and voice messages. The first alert, around 9 a.m., advised that the robbery had occurred and that a gun had been recovered, and described the at-large suspect as a 20-year-old man with “678” tattooed on his neck.
The second alert came around 3:15 p.m., indicating that the man and the second gun had not been found — and that the man was possibly armed and dangerous.
Complete description
His complete description (beyond the information in the first WarnMe message): Hispanic in his mid-20s, about 5-foot-8 with a medium build, with the “678” neck tattoo, and wearing dark pants and a white, short-sleeve shirt with vertical red stripes.
Police are asking anyone who sees him to call 911. Anyone with information about him should call police at (530) 752-1230.
WarnMe
The university uses the system to send emergency notifications via e-mail, voice and text messages to computers, phones and other devices that are included in the campus’s online directory, and, at your request, any other accounts, phones and devices on which you wish to receive such messages.
Officials are continually reminding people in the campus community to keep their WarnMe preferences up to date. Simply open the and click on “Edit my WarnMe information now!”
The website also offers instruction on configuring your computer's spam filters to accept WarnMe e-mails.
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu