(KRON) — Two men have been arrested in connection to a string of purse-snatching style robberies that appeared to target the AAPI community, according to a news release from the San Jose Police Department. Ilyaas Mubarez, 19, of Oakland, and Michael Pruitt, 21, also of Oakland, were arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of robbery.
The string of strong-armed robberies occurred between Feb. 24 and March 29, 2023, according to police. SJPD Robbery Unit detectives investigated the crimes and identified the suspects. Warrants for their arrests were attained in addition to warrants to search their residences.
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Police said the suspects are responsible for a number of similar robberies around the Bay Area.
SJPD’s Covert Response Unit located and arrested the suspects in Oakland on March 30. A search revealed various items of stolen property, $10,000 in cash, illegal firearms, and equipment used to manufacture ghost guns.