HAYWARD — Three men have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out 11 armed robberies within the East Bay over a seven-month period, authorities announced Friday.
The robberies occurred in several cities between August and February, the Hayward Police Department said in a news release. Seven were reported in Hayward, one in Castro Valley, one in Fremont, one in Livermore and one in San Leandro.
In each robbery, a minimum of one suspect brandished a weapon, police said. In some cases, the suspects relocated employees and customers to other parts of the business and compelled employees at gunpoint handy over money from money registers and safes.
Police said the suspects also forced employees and customers handy over their personal property.
One suspect – a 42-year-old Oakland man – was arrested Feb. 13 and is believed to be accountable for all 11 robberies, police said.
The other suspects — a 24-year-old man from Oakland and a 26-year-old man from Concord — were arrested on March 11 and April 4, respectively. Police said she and the primary suspect are believed to be accountable for two robberies each.
The suspects were arrested on charges including robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping, police said.
Multiple Bay Area law enforcement agencies, in addition to the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI, were involved within the armed robbery investigation, police said.
“The coordinated efforts of our law enforcement partners demonstrate an unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of not only our respective communities, but throughout the Bay Area,” Hayward Police Chief Bryan Matthews said in a press release.
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