San Mateo Robbery Suspect Arrested After Dropped Wallet Leads Police To His Home

SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- Police officers in San Mateo quickly arrested a suspect in connection with a violent street robbery last Friday after the suspect dropped his wallet at the scene of the crime, authorities said.

On Friday evening shortly after 7:30 p.m., San Mateo police found and arrested a robbery suspect after the victim reported being violently choked to the point of losing consciousness during the robbery.

The male victim said he was walking in the area of Monte Diablo Avenue and N. Claremont Street earlier Friday evening when the suspect approached him and demanded his personal property. The victim refused to comply and the robbery suspect assaulted the victim for several minutes, choking him until he nearly blacked out.

The victim continued to struggle with the suspect but eventually had his property taken from him. The suspect dropped his own wallet as he fled toward his home in the unit block of N. Claremont Street.

San Mateo Police officers quickly saturated the area in search of the suspect and were provided with a detailed description of the suspect by the victim. The description matched that of a suspect who had been detained earlier in the day for trespassing into a backyard.

Officers found the wallet at the scene of the robbery, which led them to the suspect's home address to make the arrest. The victim's property was located inside the suspect's home and officers later returned the stolen property to the the victim.

Officers also confirmed that the robbery suspect was the same person as the trespassing suspect from earlier. The victim was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and was in stable condition. The suspect was booked at San Mateo County Jail on robbery charges.