San Mateo Police Arrest Two In Connection With Robberies, Fraud

SAN MATEO, CA — Police arrested two suspects on Sunday in connection with a string of robberies in San Mateo County over the weekend.

The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Okusitino Tau, who was out on bail for two street robberies he committed in 2019, and 20-year-old Richard Farries, who was a Parolee-at-Large.

One additional suspect has not yet been identified, according to police. The suspects also stole a vehicle and used a victim’s credit cards after stealing her purse, police said in a news release.

The robbery occurred on Saturday night, when an elderly woman reported that someone in a vehicle that pulled up next to her in the area of San Mateo’s Central Park grabbed her purse and then fled.

According to police, the suspects used the victim’s credit card in Belmont, San Carlos and Hayward and then stole a car belonging to the victim’s daughter, as a spare key had been in the victim’s purse. The suspects also committed at least four additional robberies in Millbrae, San Bruno and South San Francisco, according to a news release.

Tau and Farries were arrested Sunday morning. Both men are charged with several crimes, including robbery and possession of stolen property. Farries was also booked for being a Parolee-at-Large and Tau for committing a felony while out on bail.