How A Bay Area Business Outsmarted Armed Robbers

VALLEJO, CA — A tracker hidden in stolen cash helped lead police to armed robbers after a recent theft in Vallejo, according to authorities.

Officers responded around 9:30 p.m. July 12 to a robbery in the 2800 block of Georgia Street, police said, adding one person entered the store, brandished a gun and demanded cash, while a second waited outside. Both fled on foot with roughly $300, according to police.

The tracker allowed officers to pinpoint a location near Short Street and set up a perimeter with assistance from the California Highway Patrol, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office and the American Canyon Police Department, authorities said, adding that residents reported seeing the robbers running through backyards.

One of the robbers was found hiding under a truck in a fenced yard and the other was located nearby, according to police, who said both had prior felony convictions. The two were booked into Solano County jail on suspicion of armed robbery, police said.

One of the pair lived in the area and officers went to the home and spoke to the robber’s mother, who allowed police to search her residence for evidence, authorities said, adding law enforcement found a loaded unregistered gun with an extended magazine, clothes matching surveillance footage and a shopping bag used in the robbery. The stolen money was tracked to a field near the home, according to police.