Two months after an armed robbery at a North Highlands smoke shop, Sacramento County sheriff's detectives tracked down the suspects to an apartment complex and made arrests. Darnelle Lavar Green and Dezmond Collier, both 20 years old, are now in custody on suspicion of robbery in connection with the Aug. 21 holdup at Blueberry Vape and Smoke on Watt Avenue.
Sheriff's officials said the robbery happened during daytime hours at the shop, located just north of Interstate 80 in North Highlands, according to the Sacramento Bee. Security camera footage reviewed by investigators showed two armed suspects entering the store and brandishing handguns before one employee was forced at gunpoint to hand over cash from the register.
How the Robbery Unfolded
According to the sheriff's account, the two suspects worked in tandem: one stood watch near the store entrance while the other approached the cashier directly. When cash was tossed onto the front counter, the suspect grabbed it, stuffed it in his pocket, and both men fled the store together.
Detectives later identified Green and Collier as the suspects in the case and obtained arrest warrants for both men, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said in a Friday news release, as reported by the Sacramento Bee.
Surveillance Leads to Arrests at Apartment Complex
The break in the case came Tuesday, Oct. 13, when detectives conducting surveillance at an apartment complex spotted Green leaving one of the units. Detectives then entered the apartment and arrested Collier inside, per the sheriff's office account. Sheriff's officials said detectives also found a concealed handgun and an extended ammunition magazine in Green's possession at the time of his arrest.
Green and Collier were arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court on Thursday. As of Friday, both men remained in custody at Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility near Elk Grove, the sheriff's office said.
What California Law Says About Robbery Charges
Under California law, robbery is defined by Penal Code section 211 as the felonious taking of another person's personal property, from that person or their immediate presence, against their will, through force or fear, according to California Legislative Information. That statutory definition frames the suspicion-of-robbery allegation now facing both Green and Collier as the case moves forward in Sacramento Superior Court.
