A Hayward transient has been arrested in a Fremont armed home invasion, police said on Thursday.
The crimes happened on Monday at around 3 p.m. at a home in the 35900 block of Magellan Drive, officers said. A 29-year-old man was on his way home when he noticed a suspicious car backed into his driveway.
The victim wrote down the license plate and noticed two men peering into the door of his home, police said. The men went up to the victim, grabbed him, waved a gun, and dragged him inside. That’s when police say they demanded money and marijuana from the victim.
Inside, the men encountered a second victim, a 64-year-old woman, who was pushed onto the floor. As the men continued to demand cash and pot, the male victim began to fight with them over the gun, police said.
During the fight, the male victim was hit in the head with the gun, causing significant but non-life-threatening injuries. One suspect, identified as Alexander Rhodes, 30, put the male victim in a chokehold and kept asking where the pot and cash was, officers said.
The male victim was able to break free, run outside, and call 911.
When police arrived, they found live ammo on the floor inside the home.
The suspects got away.
“It’s believed the rounds were released from the suspect’s firearm during the struggle,” police said.
The male victim was taken to the hospital and treated.
After police ran the license plates, they found it registered to Kerman, California in Fresno County.
Police found Rhodes was connected with other crimes, including the sexual assault of a small child in another case.
Here’s what a criminal history check revealed on Rhodes:
“Three (3) active felony warrants, stemming from separate incidents, for his arrest. The warrants were for robbery, burglary and the sexual assault of a small child. The sexual assault case was an active investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office who held a $1,000,000 warrant for Rhodes arrest. ACSO publicized information about their case, seeking the public’s assistance to locate Rhodes on August 9, via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ACSOSheriffs/posts/1826694564076024.”
On Wednesday, police found the suspect car parked in Hayward. As they waited for Rhodes to enter the car and drive away, they caught up with him in San Francisco, where they arrested him, officers said.
Police say Rhodes “provided a statement to both crimes and was booked into Santa Rita Jail.”
“This is a great example of the positive working relationship ASCO and Fremont PD share. It was a great effort to locate and arrest this armed and dangerous suspect in a timely manner,” Fremont Police Lt. Michael Tegner said. “Further, the use of technology, including automated license plate readers once again assisted in quickly solving a high priority case. Visual evidence is always a plus and incredibly valuable to the prosecution.”
Rhodes is in custody on three warrants.
He will face a judge for the armed robbery on Friday.
The other suspect was identified as a black man wearing a ski mask, which covered half his face. He is between 5 feet 8 inches tall and 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 160 pounds, and in his early 30s. He was also wearing a black, puffy jacket.
It is not clear exactly where some of the previous crimes were committed.