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Two men face multiple felony charges after prosecutors allege they robbed an off-duty police officer at gunpoint in Dublin and fled into Oakland before ultimately being caught last Friday in yet another armed Rolex watch theft reported in the Bay Area this summer.
Raymond Barbosa and Daryl Caldwell were ultimately arrested after crashing their car into a utility box and trying unsuccessfully to run away in the area of Stanley and 98th avenues in Oakland, according to Dublin police.
"The victim's Rolex watch was recovered along with a handgun believed to have been used in commission of the crime," Lt. Jared Hattaway told Livermore Vine.
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged Barbosa, a 21-year-old Oakland resident, and Daryl Caldwell, 23, of Antioch on Monday with second-degree robbery among several felonies and special allegations among the pair.
It was not immediately clear whether the defendants were represented by an attorney, or if they had yet entered a plea to the charges against them.
The situation began unfolding around 12:30 p.m. Friday in the Hacienda Crossings Shopping Center on Dublin Boulevard. An off-duty police officer — whose agency was not revealed — reported having just been robbed at gunpoint outside of the Baron's Jewelers, according to Dublin police.
The off-duty officer told police investigators that an armed assailant stole his Rolex watch and jumped into the passenger seat of a newer-model Kia Optima that drove away at a high rate of speed, according to probable cause declaration written by Dublin police Officer Thomas Nelson.
The victim provided a detailed description of the robber, saying he was "a Hispanic male adult, approximately 6-foot-3, with an athletic build, holding a black semi-automatic handgun, wearing a black ski mask and all black clothing," according to Nelson.
The Kia sedan was later spotted on Interstate 580 and Alameda County sheriff's deputies pursued the vehicle after the driver initially failed to yield. The car got off the freeway but crashed into a utility box on 98th Avenue in Oakland, rendering it inoperable and leading to the two occupants fleeing on foot, according to Nelson.
The passenger — later identified as Barbosa — was allegedly seen by witnesses holding a handgun as he ran. Deputies caught him on Stearns Avenue without further incident and a handgun and ski mask were found in bushes near where he was detained, according to Nelson.
The victim subsequently confirmed Barbosa was the robber during a field identification, Nelson said.
Caldwell — identified as the driver — was detained on Stanley Avenue and had a black ski mask in his possession at the time, according to Nelson. "While on scene, Caldwell spontaneously admitted to driving the Kia and he did not stop due fearing the police," Nelson said.
Both men were charged with felony counts of second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Barbosa also faces felony charges of carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle and having a loaded gun on his person in a city, as well as special allegations including personal use of a firearm, having a loaded concealed gun and having an unregistered loaded gun.
Prosecutors additionally charged Caldwell with a felony count of evading police as well as special allegations of weapon use and having two prior felony convictions — grand theft cases in Contra Costa County in 2019 and Alameda County in 2020, respectively.
The Dublin case was the latest in a series of Rolex watch thefts at gunpoint reported in the Bay Area in recent months, including a pair of high-profile incidents in Danville in July and earlier this month.
