In a brazen incident at Marina Plaza Shopping Center last night, the San Mateo Police Department apprehended three suspects involved in a carjacking and robbery. The ordeal began when a victim intending to sell a watch via Facebook Marketplace faced a grave ambush where the suspects brandished a gun, assaulted him, pilfered his belongings, and attempted to hijack his vehicle. In a swift response, San Mateo police officers, after being alerted at approximately 8:03 p.m., converged upon the scene with urgency, as reported by the San Mateo Police Department.
Two of the suspects, later identified by police as Richard Jones, 22, and Maurice Griffin, 20, were detained posthaste upon their attempt to escape the scene in a gray Jeep Renegade. The third accomplice, Margaret Watkins, 21, was sighted running into an adjacent apartment complex, triggering a "shelter in place" advisory for the community as the police began a meticulous search. Despite bearing a loaded firearm, Watkins was ultimately detained by officers directed to her hideout by a drone operator.
The arrests led to a cache of charges for the trio, including carjacking, robbery, assault with a firearm, and conspiracy. Recovered at the scene were the stolen items and an unregistered Glock with an extended magazine, further corroborating the gravitas of the threat posed by the suspects. Jones, Griffin, and Watkins were booked into San Mateo County Jail, facing long lists of charges.
