On Friday at 10:48 a.m., deputies from the Sheriffs Department and Sonoma Police Department responded to an armed robbery that occurred at Castellanos Jewelers at 18901 Sonoma Hwy. in the Vineyard Center. The female clerk, who was alone at the store, reported that an Hispanic male entered to look at some jewelry. As she assisted him, the suspect received a cell phone call. The suspect told the caller, “It’s ready,” and hung up. A short time later, another Hispanic male entered the store, brandished a handgun, and told the clerk it was a robbery. The suspect put the gun to the clerk’s head and commanded her to walk into the back office and lie face down on the ground. The two suspects proceeded to take several items of jewelry from the counter display and the ones in the safe-deposit box, and then fled the store in an unknown direction. According to the clerk, it took 20 minutes for the thieves to take everything and then leave. She remembered seeing the suspects in the jewelry store the day before the robbery occurred. The value of all the items and money they stole is about $35,000, according to the owners. This is the fourth time the jewelry store has been robbed.
The suspect armed with the black handgun was described as a Hispanic male adult, early 20s, 5-feet, 8-inches tall, with a heavy build, fair-skinned, and black, collar-length hair. He spoke Spanish and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and dark shoes. The other suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult, early 20s, 5-feet 8-inches tall, about 145 pounds, unshaven, with short black hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans.
Deputies searched the area and were unable to locate the suspects. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Investigations and Crime Scene Investigations units responded to help investigate the robbery.
If you have any information regarding this crime, please call the Sonoma County Sheriffs Department Violent Crimes Unit at 707. 565,2185.
Jewelry store robbed again
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