SAN JOSE — The San Jose Police Department announced on Dec. 15 the arrest of six suspects in a series of robberies targeting the AAPI community.
The suspects were identified as Anthony Michael Robinson, 24, of Stockton; Cameron Alonzo Moody, 27, of East Palo Alto; Derje Damond Blanks, 23, of San Jose; Hassani Burleson Ramsey, 24, of Oakland; Clarence Jackson, 21, of East Palo Alto; and Malik Short, 21, of Tracy.
In the fall of 2021, the SJPD’s Robbery Unit concluded a year-long, multi-jurisdictional investigation involving a prolific robbery crew that targeted victims of Asian descent; Asian females were frequently the targeted victims and many were injured during the robberies.
Robbery Unit detectives worked tirelessly to identify and arrest the suspects, who worked in concert between October 2020 and September 2021 to commit over 70 incidents of robbery, burglary, and theft. The Covert Response Unit assisted with apprehensions of these dangerous individuals. During the investigation, numerous firearms were recovered, including at least one ghost gun.
The suspects were charged by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for the criminal incidents, as well as hate crime enhancements.
“Our department wants to send a strong message to our AAPI community members: Criminals who wish to target you because of your ethnicity, or your gender, will be met with the tenacity of the finest police officers, detectives, and attorneys in the nation, and this case is a great example of that,” the SJPD said in a statement.
“The success of this complex investigation would not have been possible without community involvement. Many witnesses came forward and victims provided valuable information that assisted in identifying this prolific group. The department would also like to thank local allied agencies who assisted with information-sharing; these suspects are believed to be responsible for many more robberies across the Bay Area.”
San Jose Chief of Police Anthony Mata added, “I want to thank all of our department members, as well as the outside agencies, who assisted with this long and complex investigation. Thanks to their hard work, there are six less predators targeting members of our community. We are sensitive to the hate aspect targeting Asian females.
“I commend District Attorney Jeff Rosen for pursuing hate crime enhancements. We have tenacious investigators, and a dedicated apprehension team that was tasked with bringing these suspects to justice.”
Anyone with information, or victims of unreported incidents associated with these suspects, is asked to contact Detective Amanda Estantino #4339 of the SJPD’s Robbery Unit at (408) 277-4166.
Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by uing the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.