Derrick Caldwell – image from Facebook
On Sunday, November 15 at 8:20 in the evening, a male employee of a restaurant located in the Solano Mall was outside the eatery taking a break when his cell phone was stolen from him by a known violent criminal, according to authorities.
The victim was holding his phone in his hand when he was approached by the suspect, who was walking nearby. The suspect grabbed the phone, and the victim tried to take it back. The suspect then punched the victim in the face, knocking him to the ground. While he was lying on the ground, the suspect kicked the victim in the head and ran away with the cell phone.
A manager at the restaurant where the victim was working saw what happened and ran after the suspect. When he caught up to him and tried to take back the cell phone, the suspect violently attacked the manager as well, and ended up kicking him in the face before he took off running. Both victims were injured but did not require medical attention.
Fairfield Police responded to the scene to help the victims, and several officers began searching for the suspect. They were able to track the cell phone to the 1200 block of B. Gale Wilson Boulevard, near Northbay Hospital, just a couple of blocks from the crime scene. They searched the large parking lot, looking in and under every vehicle, and eventually found 36-year-old Derrick Ray Caldwell sitting in a car. The victims positively identified him as the suspect. Officers searched Caldwell and found the stolen cell phone in the car where he was sitting.
Booking photo released by Fairfield Police
Caldwell, who reported his occupation as auditor, has a history of violent crime. On Halloween night of last year he was arrested by Fairfield Police at his home in central Fairfield, near the Fairfield Memorial Park and Suisun-Fairfield Cemetary, and charged on several domestic violence offenses. He was booked that night for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or co-habitant, false imprisonment by violence, and making criminal threats.
More recently, on July 17 of this year, Caldwell was arrested by Fairfield Police on charges of battery with serious bodily injury. In that incident he was arrested at a nearby apartment on Tabor Avenue. Further details of those arrests were not available.
For this latest incident, Caldwell was booked Sunday night into the Solano County Jail for robbery and aggravated assault, and his bail was set at $43,300.00.
