Davis Police: Suspects Take Cash, Gift Cards in String of Robberies

DAVIS -- University of California, Davis students were returning to school and readjusting to post-holiday routines Monday.

Chemistry major Yan Lee was not too concerned while walking home in the dark along Alvarado Avenue.

"So I normally don't worry about someone, you know, grabbing my bag," Lee said.

But two days ago police say a robber targeted someone in the area around 1:30 in the afternoon.

"The victims describe him as a Hispanic male, possibly wearing a camouflaged hooded sweatshirt and on that one one of them he approached with something in his pocket," said Davis Police Lt. Paul Doroshov. "And the other one he actually lifted up his upper body clothing and displayed there was a knife in his waistband."

Police believe that same suspect was responsible for a second robbery in a shopping center just four hours after the Saturday mugging on Alvarado Avenue.

A day later in south Davis, police say a different robber, a white male with a gun, held someone up on Cowell Boulevard just east of Ensenada Drive.

In all three cases, the robbers made off with small amounts of cash and gift cards.

Luckily, no one was hurt.

Before all that, Keara Bell already had a safety plan.

"Just making sure that, like, if I see anybody dangerous or seems like it's probably a group of guys or something just make sure that I go to more people that are around in the streets," Bell told FOX40.

After news of the robberies she plans to be even more vigilant.

Though officers can't confirm if those robbed were wearing headphones or looking at their phones when they were held up they are warning walkers to keep their eyes up and scan their surroundings.

If you know anything that could help solve these robberies, please contact the Davis Police Department.
