LINCOLN – The arrests of four young men was announced yesterday in the 2013 robbery of a smoke shop in Lincoln, a town in Placer County north east of Sacramento near Roseville.
The four teens also took cash from the register. Costa again in a Facebook photo.
On a summer night, August 7 at 8:45 pm, it was reported that four teenagers entered the Cigarettes Smoke Shop at 150 Lincoln Boulevard. According to a Lincoln Police press release, one of the young men grabbed a bong, also known as a water smoking pipe, and hit a store employee in the head with it. After showing he meant business, the suspect ordered the employee to open the register and hand over the cash. He and his friends then each grabbed a bong from the merchandise to take with them and ran out, but not before breaking a few more choice items on the way.
The employee suffered minor injuries, and the value of the cash and merchandise was said to be at least $2,000. The store had video surveillance set up, however, and analysis of the images assisted in the subsequent investigation. It appeared that at least one of the young men had been in the store earlier to case the premises, and perhaps decide which of the water pipes he liked best. The young suspects left fingerprints behind as well, and witnesses provided a possible vehicle description with license plate.
Lukas Alexander Falcon (Facebook)
The investigation was pieced together to identify one, and then the remaining 3 suspects. The Placer County District Attorney agreed to proceed with criminal charges against the four teenage males suspected in the case. Two of the young men, 19-year-old Nicholas Lawrence Costa and 18-year-old Joshua David Reed are local boys from Lincoln. A 17-year-old juvenile, unnamed in the release, is from nearby Wheatland, just a few miles north of Lincoln. The fourth suspect, 19-year-old Lukas Alexander Falcon is listed as living in Pittsburg California, a bay area city to the east of Oakland. However, he is also on record as a 2013 graduate of Lincoln High School, along with Costa.
All four were arrested this week and face charges of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and inflicting great bodily harm. Anyone with more information about this incident of the suspects is encouraged to call the Lincoln PD at 916-645-4040.
