CLEARLAKE >> Teenage robbery suspects reportedly led police on a chase through multiple residential yards before being detained by uniformed and plain-clothed officers Thursday morning.
At about 10:58 a.m. a 76-year-old Clearlake man reported he had just been robbed of his wallet at Austin Park, according to a report by Clearlake Police Department (CPD) Sgt. Rodd Joseph. He reported being physically held by one suspect while the second suspect removed his wallet and ran off. The victim was uninjured in the attack and no weapons were used.
Within minutes of the call, CPD Detective Mark Barnes saw two suspects who matched the general descriptions in the area of Howard Avenue and Ridge Road. When he approached the suspects, they allegedly ran and began jumping fences in and through numerous residential yards, Joseph stated. Several uniformed and plain-clothed officers began trying to establish a perimeter around the suspects and while doing so, were able to apprehend the first suspect at Tire Pros on Lakeshore Drive. This suspect was identified as 18-year-old Darius Louis of Contra Costa County. Louis is a convicted felon on parole who also had a felony arrest warrant out of Contra Costa County for a prior parole violation.
Within a few minutes of Louis” arrest, officers found Clifford McDonald, also 18, of Clearlake in a vacant field off of Pearl Avenue not far from Tire Pros.
The victim was transported to the location near Tire Pros and made a partial identification of the two suspects by their respective clothing and some physical characteristics, Joseph stated.
Officers retraced the steps of the two suspects and were able to recover most of the victim”s stolen property but did not locate the actual wallet, some cash and some personal identification.
During questioning, both suspects reportedly confessed to the robbery, Joseph stated. The victim was chosen as they could see his wallet in his pants pocket and believed it to be full of cash. The two reportedly worked in concert as Louis needed money to get back to Contra Costa County.
Both suspects were later booked into the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on felony charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and elder abuse. They were also each charged with a single misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. The case will be submitted to the Lake County District Attorney”s Office for filing and to state parole.
Burns Valley School staff temporarily placed the school on lock down for precautionary reasons due to the school”s close proximity to the incident. The lockdown was lifted as soon as both suspects were taken into custody.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is urged to contact the CPD. Call the investigating officer at 994-8251 ext. 505.
