A robbery at San Mateo’s Hillsdale Mall on Thursday ended in a nearby parking lot, after officers tracked down a red 1990s Subaru Outback that witnesses said the suspects used to flee. Police located the car later that night, detained the occupants in a neighboring shopping center and arrested both. One of the two now faces a felony robbery accusation, and both were booked into the county jail, according to police. Investigators are asking the public to share any tips that might help move the case forward.
How Officers Zeroed In On The Getaway Car
To track the Subaru, the San Mateo County Gang Intelligence Unit and Gang Task Force leaned on regional tactical information centers (RTIC), an automated license-plate reader system and a drone acting as a first responder, police said. That tech-assisted trail led officers to the Bridgepointe Shopping Center parking lot, where they found the red Subaru and detained the people inside.
The department later identified the arrestees as 19-year-old Damien Daniels of San Leandro and 18-year-old Terrance Barnes of San Lorenzo, saying both were transported to the San Mateo County Jail. Barnes was booked on first-degree robbery, conspiracy and resisting charges, while Daniels was booked on robbery and conspiracy, according to the San Mateo Police Department.
Robbery Suspects Nabbed After Fleeing Crime Scene https://t.co/7ErHw79xNk pic.twitter.com/9FKARJPKXF
— San Mateo Police Department (@SanMateoPD) July 18, 2026
Contact And Reporting
The San Mateo Police Department, headquartered at 200 Franklin Parkway, lists (650) 522-7700 as its non-emergency number and is asking anyone with information about the incident to get in touch so investigators can follow up on leads. The department’s online directory and press-release page also provide resources for witnesses and merchants who want to report suspicious activity, according to the City of San Mateo.
Hillsdale Remains A Hotspot For Loss-Prevention Efforts
The Hillsdale Shopping Center has been on law enforcement’s radar this year for theft and retail-loss incidents, with San Mateo police previously making arrests in a January Lululemon shoplifting case and other loss-prevention operations. That recurring pattern has kept coordination between mall security and police at a heightened level, local coverage shows, the Daily Journal reported.
Police say the latest Hillsdale robbery investigation remains active and that additional charges could be filed as detectives review evidence and surveillance footage. Anyone with relevant video or information is urged to call the department’s non-emergency line, or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
