Suspects In Cherry Creek North Jewelry Heist Now Face Federal Charges
OAKLAND, Calif. (CBS4) - Five suspected robbers accused of stealing high-priced watches and other items from a Denver jewelry store were scheduled to appear in federal court in California on Friday morning.
They were captured on Wednesday after a high speed chase between Sacramento and San Francisco.
Three men and two women in a black SUV led police on the chase, which reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Sources say the suspects, all of whom are from San Francisco, threw evidence from a bridge during the chase.
The FBI took over the case on Wednesday after the suspects were arrested.
The following people now face charges of robbery affecting commerce and conspiracy to commit robbery affecting commerce:
- Anthony Domino, 21
- Summer Sawyer, 30
- Sharde Suwannabart, 24
- Sean McCullough, 23
- Anthony Tyree, 23
Three gunmen and a women held up Williams Jewelers in Denver's Cherry Creek North neighborhood on Tuesday morning. Surveillance cameras captured one woman and three others inside the store.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement that the owner of the store told police a black woman first came in the store and looked at watches. She then told an employee she would leave the store to get her credit cards. Three black men wearing black hoodies and black masks then walked in with guns.
The owner said during the robbery one of the men "moved him from the back of the store to the desk area of the store at gunpoint."
Police say the suspects left the scene in an SUV. That SUV was located few blocks away, but the suspects got away.
CBS4 news was the only news crew there as police questioned witnesses. Damage to the store was visible through the window.
After the Denver crime, investigators determined the ditched SUV belonged to an Aurora resident. That person told police he sold his vehicle to two unknown black males and two unknown black females on Monday night. He said they arrived at the location where the sale was made in a different car that had California plates and he provided a photo that had the license plate of that car.
COURT DOCUMENTS: Read the criminal complaint
Investigators then worked with the car company OnStar, and on Wednesday were able to locate the that car using GPS. It was in Roseville, California.
Officials with the California Highway Patrol then located the car and tried to make contact with it, but the driver took off. After an extended police pursuit, the car crashed on Interstate 80 in the San Francisco area.
Some of the people in the car then tried to run away but were all captured.
The U.S. Attorney's office says in addition to a gun, Rolex watches were found in the car. One of the serial numbers on one of the watches matched that of one of the watches stolen from Williams Jewelers.
U.S. Attorney John Walsh praised law enforcement for working quickly to arrest the suspects less than a day after the crime. He described the robbery as one involving "raw violence."
If convicted, the suspects each face as much as 25 years in prison.
