Oakland man arrested in connection with Fremont robbery

Police say two women were robbed of their purses at the Fremont Hub on Thursday

FREMONT – A 26-year-old Oakland man has been arrested in connection with a strong-arm robbery in Fremont, police said.

The robbery was reported at the Fremont Hub shopping center at Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard about 1:35 p.m. Thursday, the Fremont Police Department said in a news release.

The victims – described as a 64-year-old woman and a 63-year-old woman – told police a man robbed them of their purses and got into a waiting car. No injuries were reported.

Undercover detectives spotted the car speeding away from the area and followed it onto northbound Interstate 880, police said. They attempted an enforcement stop after it exited onto Fremont Boulevard and started driving near other shopping centers.

Police said the car sped away from the detectives, who gave chase until they lost sight of the vehicle. Other detectives, however, soon spotted the car driving on northbound I-880. The car eventually exited onto 98th Avenue in Oakland and stopped in front of a jewelry store, where a male passenger got out and went inside the business.

“Detectives decided to detain the suspect in the jewelry store to prevent another robbery from occurring,” said police, adding that the car left the area and was not found again.

Property from one of the victims was found during a search of the suspect, police said. The man was arrested and booked into the Fremont Detention Facility on charges of robbery and possession of stolen property, as well as a probation violation. He is slated to be arraigned on Dec. 21.

Police said the man was on probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm and has three prior arrests for being a felon in possession of a firearm and one prior arrest for possession of an illegal assault weapon.

Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department’s investigations unit at 510-790-6900.