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A man was robbed at gunpoint with a shot fired and a witness attempting to intervene was pistol-whipped in broad daylight at a Danville shopping center on Saturday, according to police.
The three culprits drove away from the Livery Shopping Center after the armed robbery and remained at-large into Sunday, police said.
The situation unfolded around 2:44 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Livery in the 200 block of Sycamore Valley Road. A man was approached by three armed people as he exited a shop and walked toward his parked car, according to Danville police.
“As two of the suspects were taking a watch from the victim, a witness to the crime attempted to intervene. One of the suspects struck the witness with a pistol,” police said. “At one point during the robbery, one of the suspects fired one round from their firearm.”
Police did not report whether the gunshot hit any person.
The three robbers fled the scene in a vehicle, according to police – who did not provide descriptions of the suspects nor their vehicle.
There was speculation on social media that individuals detained in Oakland after a police chase on Sunday were connected to the Danville armed robbery from the day before, but Police Chief Allan Shields told DanvilleSanRamon, “We do not believe the pursuit into Oakland is related to the Danville case.”
The investigation into the robbery remains ongoing, police said. Anyone with information can contact Danville police Sgt. Jacob Bell at 925-314-3703 or jbell@danville.ca.gov.
Saturday’s incident marks the third armed robbery reported publicly in Danville in the past month and a half, following a Rolex watch theft in the Trader Joe’s parking lot on July 1 and a robbery attempt with gunfire on Hartford Road on June 21.
It is time to recall the George Soros funded soft on crime DA Becton, just like it was time for San Francisco to recall the George Soros funded soft on crime DA Chesa Boudin. It is not a coincidence that after DA Becton went after the Danville police officer that criminals are now pouring into Danville as the word on the street is clear that Danville is open season for criminals. Danville for years was ranked the safety city in the state, but with soft on crime DA Becton it is only a matter of time before she turns us into Richmond or Oakland.
Do you blame the Danville police for now being reluctant to do their job and stop criminals? First, DA Becton goes after the Danville police officer, which causes the Town to then pay a ridiculous amount of money to the ambulance chasing lawyer from Oakland who even got paid for his criminal client who threw rocks from the overpass at vehicles and then pulled a knife on the police officer. These things do not occur in a vacuum. If you were a Danville police officer are you going to apply the same gusto you previously did to stop criminals knowing that DA Becton does not care about crime victims or public safety but only cares about her politically driven prosecution of police officers?
Enough is enough. Are we going to have to wait for these out of town criminals to kill an innocent victim in Danville before we wake up and do the right thing and recall DA Becton?
The criminal was throwing rocks from the overpass at cars and could have killed innocent people. The same criminal then pulled a knife on the police officer, who in self defense had to fire one shot at the criminal, and then immediately called for an ambulance. That is what a reasonable police officer would do. However, due tothe prior actions of DA Becton, this resulted in a $4.5 million dollar settlement to the ambulance chasing lawyer in Oakland. Of course, this is more motivation for criminals to come to Danville. We need to recall DA Becton now!
@D…the wrongful police shooting of a mentally disturbed individual and this most recent robbery are two entirely different scenarios, like comparing apples to oranges.
Unfortunately the police arrived after the robbery and could not pursue these violent suspects who (like Officer Hall) deserve serious jail time upon arrest and conviction.
Given the recent string of robberies, it might be advisable not to wear or display anything of value that might attract the attention of robber/thieves.
Best to leave the fancy jewelry and fashion accessories at home.
>…comparing apples to oranges.
Fortunately no Danville resident was killed during the course of these recent robberies as one can always replace material items but not a human life.
These incidents cannot be compared to Officer Hall’s wrongful murders of two homeless/mentally-ill victims.
Officer Hall was properly prosecuted by DA Becton, convicted by the court, and sentenced accordingly.
His wrongful police actions are not reflective nor endorsed by the majority of Danville residents.
If the police are allowed to play judge, jury, and executioner…society has a major problem.
Their job is to cite or arrest in traffic/criminal matters and nothing more.
And the only justification for discharging a service weapon is if their lives are in clear and imminent danger…which in both of Officer Hall’s cases, wasn’t the case.
I’ll take “things people from Antioch and Oakland do” for $500 Alex.
Danville used to be a nice quiet town but not anymore as it has now become a lucrative venue for robberies and thefts perpetrated by individuals residing outside of the Danville community.
No one is safe and the police can only respond after a crime has been committed which is oftentimes too late.
It is also becoming more dangerous to wear or display anything of value as one becomes an instant target for theft.
While material losses can be replaced, fortunately no one has been killed during the course of these robberies.
Many of the perpetrators are armed with little regard or respect for the law.
We have decided to list our home and resituate to another community where life is not encumbered by the everyday risk of being robbed, pistol-whipped, or physically assaulted.
Thatcsaid, there are many fine people who reside in Antioch and criminal activity knows no set demographics or ethnicity.
Nevertheless, we are leaving Contra Costa County for good.
Be safe and take care.
Okay Rachel and Mike,
How would you have handled the incident involving the suspect with the knife? Do tell! I would love to hear your expertise on the incident.
And by the way, stop using the fact that the individual with the knife suffered from mental illness. A person with a mental health condition can be just as dangerous as anyone else. Furthermore, did the officer know the suspect suffered from a mental health condition?
The officer gave the suspect repeated warnings to clear the intersection. However, as the suspect appeared to comply, he then turned towards the officer and pointed the knife in the officer’s direction. The suspect then took a step towards the officer and was neutralized.
Watch the video.
@Harriete Paine…you should have no problem selling your home in Danville. Like many other upscale communities, Danville is known for its excellent public schools and high-end dining/shopping venues.
The wealthy Mandarin population from the People’s Republic of China actively seek out these prime neighborhoods and are always willing to pay top dollar.
@Malcom Hex…perhaps there should have been a mental crisis intervention team to assist Officer Hall in dealing with this precarious situation.
Given the two shootings in question, Officer Hall apparently lacked.the temperament and restraint required of a competent enforcement officer.
Being overly ‘trigger happy’ can lead to disastrous results and his defenders obviously cannot see the forest through the trees.
From the above remarks, I have gleaned a few things.
If you defend yourself in a violent situation, you may become a victim twice. A victim of the violence and a victim of the system.
You shouldn’t carry a purse or watch or anything of value in a public place.
If you don’t like the way things are handled by the DAs office, move somewhere else.
The police should be limited to traffic citations and arrests, and nothing more. (Like investigations, I guess.)
Dropping rocks off overpasses on unsuspecting cars is ok is you have a mental deficiency.
I’m beginning to see why DA Becton was so handily re-elected.
A civilized society begins with a civilized police force and if certain officers cannot meet this prerequisite, they should consider another occupation.
A police officer should only discharge his/her service weapon if a suspect is shooting at them with a firearm.
Not one commentator has stated what they would have done if they were in this officers position and a suspect ignored commands and instead pulled out a knife and approached you. It is easy to call him “trigger happy” or other names, but all these Monday morning quarterbacks have failed to state what they would have done in this situation.
Having a so-called “mental health expert” ride along sounds like a good plan, until you think it thru. If the suspect was so out of his mind that he was throwing rocks from the overpass at cars and then pulled a knife and approached the officer, why do you assume he would have the faculties to listen and comprehend what the “mental health expert” was saying? In fact, wouldn’t the presence of the “mental health expert” just give the officer another valid reason to shoot the suspect to protect that person from being stabbed by the suspect?
It is also appalling how many people blame the victims of all these strong arm robberies for having expensive watches or cars. This is no different than the days when people blamed rape victims for wearing skirts or provocative clothing for “asking for it”. Shame on those who blame the victims of these crimes. The only blame is on the low life criminals who are now pouring into Danville with guns knowing that DA Becton has prevented the cops from doing their jobs to protect law abiding citizens. If you are a criminal out of town, why not go to Danville and commit crimes? DA Becton has the criminal’s back, and worse case scenario if an officer or citizen uses force in self defense the criminals can count on their ambulance chasing lawyer from Oakland to sue them claiming “racism”.
We Danville citizens are really at a cross-roads right now. Our fantastic, safe town, is facing threats from out of town criminals and DA Becton, and the citizens of Danville need to come together and fight back to save this great town, by supporting the police, the victims, and common sense.
“Not one commentator has stated what they would have done if they were in this officers position and a suspect ignored commands and instead pulled out a knife and approached you.”
^ Having served in the USN Provost Division as a Shore Patrol officer, I can assure you that in a similar situation, no MP or SP would gun down another service member unless that person was armed with a gun and creating an immediate endangerment to others.
Like many in the police, SP/MP officers now carry tasers and the Contra Costa County officer who blatantly shot and killed two mentally-ill homeless persons should have used his taser (if equipped) to subdue the suspect tossing rocks.
In the other incident as per police video, Officer Hall is seen close-up unloading his firearm into a slow-moving vehicle inside a parking lot.
Instead…cordon off the area with police vehicles and disable the vehicle by shooting out the tires, radiator etc..
In many incidents requiring police intervention, four or five squad cars always show up so subduing and blocking-off a vehicle going less than 5mph should not have posed a problem.
Things are done differently in the U.S. military and rarely do these kinds of questionable police actions occur.
Well said D,
The Monday morning quarterbacks don’t understand that police have a duty to engage with people, violent or otherwise. Pete Schaefer suggested that the officer could have waited for a crisis intervention team. That would have been fine had the situation allowed for that to happen. Unfortunately, the officer was faced with exigent circumstances, he had no time to wait when the suspect pulled the knife on him.
That situation I just described would be no different than if I saw somebody attempting to enter my home at three in the morning. If I had time, I would call 911. However, if the suspect broke through my door, all bets are off. I don’t have time to wait for the police. I don’t know if the suspect has a gun – nor do I care. I would neutralize the suspect and let the legal process run it’s course. Bottom line: I have a duty, and a right, to protect my family.
Now, I’m still waiting for Rachel and Mike to tell me how they would have handled the case involving the suspect with the knife. But now that I think about it, I wonder how they would handle a home invasion? Personally, I feel a lot of my fellow Americans are becoming soft, especially towards violent crime. Wake up folks, violent crime is every now, and Danville is not immune.
Stay safe, everyone.