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Three of the more than 20 suspects in a high-profile burglary at Heller Jewelers in City Center Bishop Ranch are set for arraignment in Contra Costa County Superior Court next week, with three more suspects arrested in San Jose last month.
Jimmy Ray, Michael Ray and Ira Austin are the three suspects facing charges in Contra Costa County, where they are set to be arraigned on the counts against them Nov. 21.
The three suspects were taken into custody and charged in September, days after a well-documented, mid-afternoon heist at Heller Jewelers in which more than 20 culprits flooded into the San Ramon store, smashed jewelry cases and stealing the contents, including at least one thief firing a gun through the automatically locked doors, before they fled the scene in multiple vehicles. It was the second major robbery at the jewelry store in recent years.
While seven suspects were arrested as of later that week, according to San Ramon Police Chief Denton Carlson at an update to the City Council, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has only announced charges against three suspects so far. At least one suspect referred to by Carlson was under the age of 18, with the DA’s office unable to comment on juvenile cases.
“Once San Ramon PD makes more arrests and brings the cases over to us, we will review them for charging decisions,” a spokesperson for the DA’s office said.
The San Ramon Police Department assisted the San Jose Police Department in investigations into suspects believed to be linked to the City Center robbery, aiding the San Jose police in the arrest of two suspects on Sept. 30. An additional suspect was arrested in Oakland on Oct. 3, with evidence recovered that connected him to the San Ramon robbery, according to an SRPD spokesperson.
No record was available for charges filed against one of the suspects in Santa Clara County Superior Court or against the suspect arrested in Oakland in Alameda County court, as of Nov. 12. Cisco Lutu was facing multiple felony charges out of Santa Clara, with further hearings set for Nov. 13.
The investigation involving more than 20 suspects is even more complicated than the one into a previous robbery at Heller Jewelers on St. Patrick’s Day in 2023. Although all five suspects were ultimately detained and found guilty, at least one was able to evade authorities for more than six months following the incident.
However, SRPD has two new tools in its arsenal since the previous robbery.
Months after the previous robbery, SRPD secured a $5.6 million grant to combat organized retail theft. In 2024, the department estimates that the support allowed for the recovery of $163,956 in stolen merchandise and a total of 105 arrests. So far in 2025, the department reports $50,670 in assets recovered and 64 arrests. Members of SRPD’s “Organized Retail Theft Prevention Team” aided San Jose police in their investigation into the three other suspects who were detained so far.
In a recent social media post, SRPD also used the recent robbery as an example of its drone-as-first-responder pilot program, which has been in action since last year.
“Did you know our drones were first on scene during the Heller Jewelers burglary? Real-time aerial footage helped officers understand what was happening within seconds — giving them critical information before they even arrived,” SRPD officials said on social media.
SRPD arrived at the scene of the robbery – which was estimated to have lasted less than two minutes – just as the robbers were fleeing, according to Carlson’s update to the council in September.
Austin, Michael Ray and Jimmy Ray are all set for their second arraignment at the AF Bray Courthouse in Martinez on Nov. 21, having been arraigned on complaint shortly after their arrests. An arraignment on information is typically when defendants enter their pleas, once the charges they’re facing are formally detailed to them.
