SAN RAMON (KRON) — An armed carjacking in a grocery store parking lot has rattled nerves of residents in the quiet East Bay city of San Ramon.
Police said a gun was used during the crime.
“Very surprised,” resident James Volin said.
“It’s a little nerve-racking,” resident Alexis Rodrigues said.
“I never thought it would happen here,” said Marybeth Holroyd, who has a grandchild who lives in San Ramon.
But it did happen.
The plan was to meet in a Safeway parking lot on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. This is the location where two men, not from San Ramon, decided to conduct a business transaction involving the selling of motorcycle parts just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night, police said.
That is when, according to investigators with the San Ramon Police Department, the seller surprised the buyer by pulling out a gun, carjacking the buyer, also taking his money, cigarettes, and his cellphone. Police said the carjacker came to this location in a vehicle that was stolen from Oakland, which he dumped in the Safeway parking lot, and he left in the victim’s rental car described as a white 2016 Chevy Malibu.
People who live in the area said they are concerned that criminals from other areas are coming to San Ramon to set up these types of crimes.
“It’s a little scary when that kind of activity is creeping into our nice quiet town,” Rodrigues said.
“We don’t want to see the crime go up in this area,” resident James Volin said. “We all moved here because it’s a safe area to live in.”
“It’s sad,” Holroyd said. “You hope it doesn’t happen again. You hope they catch the people who did what they did.”
Police said this was not a random act. The seller and the buyer met through a third party and decided that San Ramon was a midpoint between their two locations.
There is limited information on the description of the carjacker.
Investigators said they are trying to find any surveillance video.
There are no visible signs of surveillance cameras outside of Safeway or in the parking lot.