Elderly Man Latest Victim In String Of Marin Bus Stop Crimes
MARIN CITY (CBS SF) - A 69-year-old man on Sunday became the latest victim in a string of crimes that have occurred near a Marin City bus stop since June 16, a Marin County sheriff's lieutenant said.
Three people wearing black hooded sweatshirts confronted the man as he was entering the security gate of his apartment complex at 13 Terners Drive, a block from the bus stop on Donahue Street, around 10:30 p.m., Lt. Barry Heying said.
One suspect had a semi-automatic handgun and another took the man's wallet before all three fled to a public housing area, Heying said. The victim was not injured.
The suspects, said to be black males in their late teens or early 20s who are about 5 feet 5 inches tall, fit the descriptions of the suspects in four other recent robberies and assaults near the bus stop.
On June 16 at about 10 p.m., a victim fought off unarmed suspects who tried to rob him, Heying said. Ten days later, another person was robbed of his iPhone and beaten around 9 p.m.
On June 29 at 8:30 a.m., a passenger was robbed of his wallet and cellphone and beaten on the underpass walkway, Heying said.
A fourth victim was robbed of his cellphone and backpack around 11 p.m. on July 2, Heying said. One of the suspects was armed with a short-barrel revolver.
The suspects in the robberies have taken pains to conceal their faces, and in each of the thefts, no more than $100 in cash has been taken.
"We'll probably have to catch them in the act," Heying said.
Similar incidents have occurred at the bus stop in the past, he said.
"We make arrests and it starts up again in six or eight months," Heying said.
The sheriff's office has increased patrols in the area, but bus riders are advised to be aware of their surroundings, walk in groups, stay in well-lighted areas and avoid contact with strangers, Heying said.
Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call sheriff's detectives at (415) 499-7265 or Bay Area Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
The Marin County Department of Public Works was planning to increase lighting and visibility in the area, Heying said.
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