Ceres man suspected of carjacking and attempted carjackings at Amtrak, Dunkin’ Donuts
Bystanders helped capture a Ceres man suspected of carjacking one woman and attempting to carjack another on Monday, Modesto police said.
The first victim, a 32-year-old woman, was unloading her vehicle as it idled in the parking lot at the Amtrak station on Held Drive when the suspect got into the driver’s seat and drove away, according to a press release.
Modesto Police spokeswoman Sharon Bear said the victim fell forward when the suspect drove off, suffering moderate injuries.
Officers searched for the vehicle but did not immediately locate the suspect.
In the early afternoon, a ‘vigilant citizen’ reported a suspicious vehicle in the 2300 block of Lincoln Oak Drive, southwest of Floyd and Roselle avenues, according to the press release. Officers discovered it was the vehicle stolen at the Amtrak station and the MPD Identification Unit and Violent Crimes Detectives processed the vehicle for evidence.
At about 1:30 p.m. officers responded to the attempted carjacking in the parking lot of the Dunkin’ Donuts on Oakdale Road.
A 67-year-old woman was in the parking lot when the suspect yelled at her to give him her keys. Bear said the suspect tried to grab the victim’s purse but she pulled away and ran into Dunkin’. The suspect got into the victim’s vehicle but ran away when he wasn’t able to start it, Bear said.
“A good Samaritan that had witnessed the theft, followed the suspect and provided dispatch with updates on their location,” according to the press release. “Officers and detectives immediately responded to the scene where they found an Ontel Security guard holding the suspect at gunpoint.”
The suspect, 37-year-old Leonard Rosas, was taken into custody without further incident. He was arrested and charged with robbery, carjacking, vehicle theft, attempted carjacking and inflicting injury on a person while committing a felony. Rosas is being held on approximately $1 million bail.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Detective Wilson at Wilsond@modestopd.com.
