Officers arrest suspect in Oakdale robbery and carjacking after pursuit past Sonora
The suspect in an Oakdale robbery and carjacking was arrested early Wednesday after a pursuit into Tuolumne County, police said.
Marcus Washington, 31, of San Jose is accused of committing both crimes in the downtown area within an hour late Tuesday, the Oakdale Police Department said in a news release.
Washington was arrested after midnight in the Twain Harte area after a pursuit by the California Highway Patrol, the release said. No injuries were reported.
The robbery was reported at about 10:15 p.m. near Chase Bank on East F Street. The victim said a man threatened him with a knife and stole his debit card, the release said. The robber then followed the fleeing victim’s vehicle and tried to ram it, police said.
Officers found the suspect’s unoccupied vehicle at East G Street and South Third Avenue and learned that it had been stolen in San Jose, the release said.
At about 10:55 p.m., police were alerted to a carjacking near Ryderz Restaurant on East F Street. The elderly victim said two people approached him at his Chevrolet Express Van, threatened him with a knife, and stole the vehicle, the release said.
Oakdale police advised law enforcement in the area be on the lookout for the van. At about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, it was reported to be in the Sonora area by the Sonora Police Department and Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver led officers on a pursuit that was taken over by the CHP, the release said. The driver and a female passenger were stopped in the Twain Harte area and detained.
The release did not specify the roads where the pursuit occurred. Twain Harte is about 10 miles east of Sonora via Highway 108 and 44 miles east of Oakdale.
Washington was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of robbery, carjacking, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and evading police. He remained there on $355,000 bail as of Wednesday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear whether the woman in the car was arrested.
People with information about the case can call Oakdale police at 209-847-2231 or Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.
