PIEDMONT — Two men are in custody and police are seeking a third man after an assault last week. Police arrested two suspects for assault and robbery of a pedestrian, but another suspect got away—for the time being.
All three are suspected of participating in a violent assault and robbery that occurred on the morning of December 12th. The victim was a pedestrian crossing a street, who was attacked and robbed.
The crime occurred in the Grand Avenue shopping area, near Wildwood Avenue. The victim was smoking a cigarette when two men approached him.
At first, they distracted the victim by asking to borrow a cigarette lighter, and then they beat him up. Both men simultaneously began punching the victim in his head.
After the bloodied victim collapsed to the ground, the robbers fled with the victim’s laptop computer. They ran to a waiting car, and it sped away.
Several witnesses helped Piedmont police apprehend two of the suspects later the same day. While looking for the robbers, officers located the getaway car parked on St. James Way.
Not far away, another witness reported seeing the two suspects running toward Trestle Glen Drive. There, with welcoming handcuffs, police arrested both men. However, the third suspect evaded officers.
First, police arrested Derick J. Rowell 26 of Oakland. Rowell remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $80,000 bond. His charges are second degree robbery, and assault likely to produce great bodily injury.
Next, officers arrested Charles R. Stewart, 29 of Oakland. Stewart is staying at Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail. Stewart’s charges are the same as Rowell’s charges.
