WALNUT CREEK — Three people suspected of trying to rob a downtown business last week remained at large on Tuesday and police posted surveillance photos of the crime on social media to generate leads.
The attempted robbery happened just before noon April 20 at the OC Watch Company in the 1500 block of Cypress Street, according to Walnut Creek police.
A close-up picture of one of them during the robbery attempt appears on the department’s Facebook page, along with another smaller photo of the trio and the car they were using.
They wore construction suits, with white hard hats, reflective vests, jeans and long-sleeve shirts, police said. They were all about 6 feet, 2 inches tall.
The owner fought back, police said, preventing the men from getting away with any of the store’s items.
According to police, one of the three men entered the store and handed the owner a clipboard while asking for a signature that would allow power to the business to be shut off. When the owner examined the clipboard, the man sprayed him and a nearby customer with a small amount of pepper spray.
A second suspect then smashed a display case with a baseball bat, and the first suspect tried to grab items within the display case.
At that point, the owner fought back, and the two men fled the store and ran west on Cypress Street to a newer black Dodge Challenger with silver rims and black paper plates that was parked on Commercial Lane. The third suspect drove that car, police said, and sped south on Commercial Lane toward Mt. Diablo Boulevard, where it was last seen.
The department’s Facebook posting has been shared 104 times and generated dozens of comments.
Police urged anyone with information to call Detective Bill Jeha at 925-256-3518.
