OAKLAND (KRON) — There have been a number of toll plaza robberies in the last two months, and now, two suspects are behind bars.
Officers have linked the crimes to several other robbery cases in Vallejo. The brazen robberies happened where there were dozens of cameras, police said.
Twenty-one-year-old Marco Villagomez of Vallejo is behind bars on numerous charges linked to robberies at Bay Area toll plazas. Not just one or two, but three toll plazas involving at least four robberies have happened.
CHP officers tell KRON that in the last two months, a toll plaza at the Bay Bridge was robbed once. The Carquinez Bridge toll plazas have been hit at least twice, and a toll plaza at the Benicia-Martinez bridge has been hit once.
Villagomez was taken into custody with a 17-year-old juvenile. His charges include robbery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping with intent to commit robbery.
Officers have not given explanations on the kidnapping aspect of those charges. A long list of weapons were recovered–two assault rifles, three handguns, and several replica firearms, according to police.
Additional charges on Villagomez include carrying a loaded firearm in public and having a concealed weapon in his vehicle, police said.
Vallejo police, Daly City police, and the California Highway Patrol worked together to make the arrests. In fact, officers said they have linked a series of robbery cases in Vallejo to the toll bridge plaza robberies.
Officers said this is an ongoing investigation and could have more arrests.
They have not released any video showing the robberies.