San Pablo police used video surveillance cameras in and around San Pablo Towne Center to identify and arrest two suspects in connection with an armed robbery of a $45,000 Rolex.
At 4:19 p.m. on Monday, March 3, officers responded to the shopping center near the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and San Pablo Dam Road on a report of an armed robbery of a customer in front of the H Bee Jewelry store.
The suspects fled the scene prior to officer’s arrival, but surveillance cameras within San Pablo Towne Center and public safety cameras in the surrounding areas enabled investigators to identify the suspects as Timothy Harvey, 19, of Vallejo, and Christopher Salmeron, 26, of San Francisco.
According to the police investigation, the victim and Salmeron were in the store at the same time. He saw the customer wearing the Rolex and subsequently contacted Harvey to plan the armed robbery, police said.
Harvey arrived at the store with an unknown associate to confront the victim outside with an AR-15 style pistol, police said. The suspects then fled with the Rolex, police said.
“SPPD Detectives conducted weeks of surveillance to identify and locate Harvey and Salmeron,” police said.
On the morning of Wednesday, April 5, detectives assisted by members of the Contra Costa Safe Streets Task Force served search warrants at the suspects’ respective homes. Harvey was found in possession of the AR-15 style pistol believed to have been used in the robbery, police said. Salmeron was arrested at his home wearing the victim’s Rolex, police said, adding he was also in possession of a Glock-23 firearm.
Both suspects were booked into Contra Costa County Jail on charges of robbery and conspiracy.
