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A Contra Costa County Superior Court jury on Wednesday convicted a 27-year-old Oakland man on four counts of armed robbery for stealing high-value watches, including one Danville case, as well as for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, prosecutors said.
Shane Ivan Downs was charged with seven felonies related to a series of armed robberies in 2020 and 2021.
In each incident, a masked Downs followed his victims from a public place to their homes, where he robbed them at gunpoint — usually of high-end watches worth $3,500 to $15,000.
On April 18, 2021, Downs followed a victim from Walnut Creek to her home in Oakley, where he flashed a handgun and stole her Rolex watch.
Later that day, he followed another victim from Walnut Creek to Concord, where he pointed a gun at the victim’s head, struck them and robbed them of a Panerai Luminor watch.
On May 24 of that year, Downs followed a third victim from Danville to Walnut Creek, then robbed them of their Rolex at gunpoint. Six days later, Downs followed another victim from a Walnut Creek shopping area to the victim’s home, where he again brandished a gun and stole a Tag Heuer watch, prosecutors said.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday it built its case against Downs through vehicle information, search warrants, cellphone records and surveillance.
Despite a similar mode of operation to the four other robberies, the jury didn’t find sufficient evidence to convict Downs of charges related to a July 2020 robbery in Orinda.
Prosecutors said Downs faces potentially significant state prison time for his offenses. He’s scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in Martinez.
— Story by Tony Hicks, Bay City News Service
