Two charged in connection with series of San Jose armed robberies
Two men have been charged with holding up more than half a dozen small businesses in San Jose earlier this year, according to prosecutors.
A 19-year-old Ceres man and a 22-year-old East Palo Alto man are facing multiple felony armed robbery charges, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said in a statement Wednesday. The 19-year-old was arrested last week in Fresno and was arraigned Tuesday. The 22-year-old was arrested in February and was arraigned in March.
Prosecutors said the pair targeted smoke shops and stole cash, cellphones and Swisher Sweets. In one of the robberies, one of the suspects allegedly held a gun on a customer while another ripped away the victim's cellphone, pulling her out of her wheelchair.
The robbery spree began Jan. 28, when the pair, along with two others, robbed the Sharkey Smoke Shop on Senter Road, according to prosecutors. Half an hour later, the same group allegedly robbed three people at the 99 Foot Spa on West San Carlos Street.
Prosecutors said the two men arrested also robbed the Kwikee Mart on McKee Road on Feb. 7. The following day, the duo, along with a third suspect, allegedly robbed the Berryessa Smoke Shop on Berryessa Road.
On Feb. 18, the East Palo Alto man and two others robbed the McKee Smoke Shop on McKee Road, according to prosecutors. The pair of suspects, along with a third unnamed suspect, also allegedly robbed the Santa Clara Smoke Shop on East Santa Clara Street on Feb. 24. The Ceres man and and one other man robbed Discount Cigarettes and Cigars on Mckee Road on Feb. 27, authorities said.
The two men face prison time if convicted of the charges, according to prosecutors. Authorities did not say whether they had arrested or charged any of the other people linked to the robberies.
“These men rode around this city, threatening innocent people and endangering lives,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “They will be held accountable by my office, and our community will not live in fear.”