Three suspects arrested for the attempted armed robbery of a jewelry store in unincorporated Redwood City will soon stand trial for the crime.
Rodney Lavince Mitchell, 21, of Newark; Robert Wheller Jr., 25, of Hayward; and Raymond Lewis Bradford, 27, of East Palo Alto entered a jewelry store on Middlefield Road in unincorporated Redwood City last month on Jan. 16, armed with a hammer, a club and a handgun, respectively.
The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office reported that Bradford pointed the gun at one of three clerks in the store and demanded money.
However, the suspects were unprepared for the fact that the jewelry store clerks were armed, too.
The District Attorney's Office said, "One clerk pulled out a firearm hidden beneath the counter and pulled back the slide, making an audible noise."
When the suspects heard the unmistakable noise of a gun being cocked, the District Attorney's Office said they all took off running, fleeing outside to where a car was waiting for them.
The clerks were not going to let them get away so easily, though.
The District Attorney's Office said the jewelry store employees jumped into their own car and took off after the suspects. One of the clerks called 9-1-1 as they pursued the robbers.
A San Mateo County Sheriff's deputy who was the first responder to the call took over the chase of the vehicle when he caught up with the cars on the road.
The suspects' car crashed on Bay Road in Redwood City. The three men got out of the vehicle and took off on foot.
Sheriff's deputies found Bradford and Wheller hiding near the scene of the crash, as well as a pillowcase, gloves and the firearm used in the attempted armed robbery.
Mitchell got away, but Sheriff's deputies caught up with him the next day and arrested him as well.
The three men are currently in custody. Bradford, as the suspect who wielded the gun in the attempted robbery, is being held on $500,000 bail. The two other men are being held on $150,000 bail each.
The three suspects are due to appear in court on April 16.
What do you think of how the jewelry store clerks chased down the armed robbers? Was it a ballsy move, or a dangerous one? Tell us your opinion in the comments below.
