Photo: Otto Halafihi
OAKLAND — Police located and arrested a man suspected of committing robberies in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Four different police agencies coordinated their efforts to apprehend him. And now the man accused of robbing old ladies faces additional charges.
The suspect, Otto Halafihi, a 29-year-old resident of Oakland, surrendered himself on May 23 at a police substation in Patterson, where he waited for Concord detectives to arrest him.
Halafihi was charged with robbery and elder abuse involving a 93-year-old woman and her 64-year-old caretaker. The pair suffered a violent robbery 4 p.m. on May 18 at Sun Valley Mall in Concord.
During that robbery the 93-year-old was knocked to ground and sustained serious injuries. She remained hospitalized as of May 24, according to authorities.
Concord detectives released photos from surveillance cameras at the shopping mall. In addition they received numerous calls and tips from the public, which enabled them to identify Halafihi as a suspect.
Concord PD coordinated closely with Fremont PD in this case. They suspect Halafihi of committing another robbery at 8:40 p.m. on May 9 at the Pacific Commons Shopping Center in Fremont.
The suspect pulled a handgun on employees at Fremont Lowe’s and threatened to shoot them. Then he fled with two stolen items from the store, Fremont police said.
Arrest warrants for both robberies were obtained, based on video evidence from store cameras and automated license plate readers, victim statements and witnesses who positively identified the suspect as Halafihi.
In addition to the charges from Contra Costa County, Halafihi faces additional charges for the Fremont robbery, when Fremont police present their case against him to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office on May 25.
