Week in Review: NewPark Mall Jewelry Store Robbery; Woman Arrested After Leaving Infant Alone in Car

A jewelry store inside of NewPark Mall was robbed Thursday afternoon. Police said four men entered Zena Jewellers on the lower level of the mall, smashed display cases and opened fire. No one was injured. Police are still searching for the four suspects, who were believed to all be armed and were last seen fleeing in two vehicles onto northbound Interstate 880. for more information.

A woman was arrested in Fremont after leaving her 9-month-old baby alone in a vehicle Wednesday afternoon, police said. Police and fire officials were called to Kohl's at the Pacific Commons Shopping area around 2:35 p.m. after passers-by heard a baby crying in the backseat of the 33-year-old woman's car, according to a media release. Fremont police said the woman had the left infant unattended for approximately 35 minutes while she shopped inside of Kohls. The child was unharmed.

A 52-year-old Newark man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and robbery after police responded to Sunrose Avenue around 10 p.m. Monday. Police said the man hit a man’s back with a 6-foot-long metal pipe and demanded he give him money. The man was booked into Santa Rita Jail and is bing held on a $130,000 bail, according to online records.

Newark's city council unanimously voted to allow Newark police to sign an agreement to purchase an that could be used during high-risk incidents. The council’s vote allows Newark police to sign a seven-year lease with an option to purchase a Lenco BearCat armored rescue vehicle and adopt Lenco Industries as its sole source vendor. The cost to lease the vehicle is $161,000, according to city documents, and the would have the option to purchase the armored personnel carrier for $1 at the end of the lease’s term. A new Lenco BearCat armored vehicle could cost approximately $340,000, city documents state.

Newark residents gathered last weekend to learn more about a proposal to update the city’s General Plan, a policy document that acts as a guideline for county and city leaders when it comes to decision-making for future development. A Preferred Growth Scenario in which proposals to expand the property of the Civic Center Plaza, transform NewPark Mall into a town center and add mixed-used residential and business buildings in Old Town was presented. City council voted Thursday to go forward with seeking a consultant to hire to spearhead the second phase of updating the General Plan.

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