Jonathan Lee Mackey, a 28-year-old San Carlos man, has taken a no-contest plea in a robbery case and is now preparing to face trial for another separate robbery incident. According to a social media post from the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Mackey entered the plea for theft and a prior strike, with another felony case hanging over him.
Jonathan Lee Mackey (28) pled no contest to robbery & a prior strike, with 2nd felony case still pending. While on probation in Dec '23, Mackey stole merchandise from a store, threatened staff with pepper spray when confronted, then stole a Segway & fled, dropping his cell phone. pic.twitter.com/7ZJV02uuXs
— San Mateo County District Attorney (@SanMateoCoDA) August 5, 2025
While previously on probation in December 2023, Mackey was involved in a theft at a store, where he was confronted by staff members and threatened them with pepper spray. In an attempt to flee the scene, he made off with a Segway, but in haste, he dropped his cell phone, which later became a piece of evidence against him. Describing the series of events, the DA's Office stated, "Mackey stole merchandise from a store, threatened staff with pepper spray when confronted, then stole a Segway & fled, dropping his cell phone."
The upcoming jury trial, which is set to begin this week, concerns a robbery at a Redwood City Target store that occurred on Dec. 7, 2023. According to details from KRON4, Mackey filled a cart with $820.70 in merchandise and tried to rush past a loss prevention officer who attempted to thwart the theft. The officer and Mackey struggled, during which Mackey is alleged to have threatened to use pepper spray three times. The chaos resulted in the cart tipping over and injuring a bystander.
The DA's office explained the circumstances that led to Mackey's identification, saying, while reporting to his probation officer, per KRON4, "Days later, while Mackey was reporting to his probation officer, he was placed under arrest for second-degree robbery." This arrest stemmed from evidence found at the Target location where the mishap with the cart occurred. Mackey's troubled history with theft and robbery extends back to August 2023, when he was involved in an altercation with a security guard from Home Depot, a confrontation that resulted in him being shot.
Following that event, Mackey was convicted of attempted second-degree robbery and was sentenced to two years of probation with 180 days in jail. However, he was credited for 161 days served and was released in under three weeks. The plea deal in the Home Depot case had removed an assault charge and enhancements for great bodily injury, allowing for the lighter sentence. It will be up to the jury this week to determine the outcome of the most recent charges linked to the Target incident. Jury selection and trial proceedings assuredly demand the attention of those following closely the string of incidents tied to Mackey.
