Dartanyan Mendola
MILPITAS — The Milpitas Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect wanted in a June 11, 2017, strong arm robbery. According to Milpitas Police, “At approximately 7:32 A.M., the Milpitas Police Department received a call of a strong-arm robbery that just occurred at the Larkspur Landing hotel on Ranch Drive.”
During this time the suspect, 35-year-old Sunnyvale resident Dartanyan Mendola, approached an employee working the counter at the hotel and claimed he had lost his keys. According to Milpitas Police, as the employee tried to help Mendola find his keys, Mendola began to try and take the employee’s keys from his hand. Failing to remove the keys from the employee, Mendola released his grip, ending the struggle.
Unsatisfied with failing to obtain the set of keys from the employee, Mendola began walking through the parking lot of the hotel, approaching a 50-year-old female who had just arrived to visit a friend working at the hotel.
Mendola apparently saw her car keys in her hand took them from her, but as she screamed he released them and ran from the scene.
The suspect continued to flee until he was found on SR-237 and was quickly detained and taken into custody.
Mendola appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance and was found to be on active parole through the California Department of Corrections.
Mendola was booked into the Santa Clara County main jail for robbery, attempted robbery, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and is currently being held without bail for a parole hold.
