Sep 3, 2008 6:25 pm US/Pacific
3 'Key Players' Arrested In Oakland Robbery Spree
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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K & T Nail Salon on 10814 Bancroft Ave. in Oakland, site of the latest takeover robbery.
CBS
Police said Wednesday they made a major break in the investigation into a recent spate of takeover robberies that have plagued Oakland businesses and rattled residents' nerves.
Two men and a woman, all three Oakland residents, were in jail after being arrested Tuesday night when police responded to an armed robbery at a nail salon.
Detectives said Leon Luster, 22, Rashaan Lamonthe, 30, Shante Bostic, 20, were responsible for that holdup and at least three others -- part of the rash of more than a dozen that have taken place in Oakland over the past month.
"By no means is our investigation over, but we are confident we have the key players in custody for the robberies that occurred in the last six weeks," Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said.
Investigators responding to the robbery at K&T nail salon at 10814 Bancroft Avenue stopped a car blocks away from the scene. A search found two ski masks, a loaded weapon and more than $200 in cash that police believe was taken from the nail salon, according to Jeffrey Israel, Oakland police deputy investigations chief.
Police said they have evidence linking all three suspects to three other August takeover robberies at Oakland restaurants: Full Moon Seafood House at 2042 Macarthur Blvd. on Aug. 24; the Nomad Cafe at 6500 Shattuck Ave. in Oakland on Aug. 22; and the Kerry House at 4092 Piedmont Ave. on Aug. 4.
Israel said that before the nail salon holdup detectives were investigating the three suspects based on information gleaned from previous robbery victims.
"These were people we were focusing on," Israel said, but he declined to provide more details because it could compromise their ongoing investigation.
Court records show that Luster and Lamonthe were parolees with previous drug-related convictions. Authorities said the woman, Bostic, was driving the car.
Thomason said it did not appear the suspects' alleged crimes were linked to gang involvement.
But Thomason indicated that the trio were linked to two other suspects who were arrested on Aug. 13 for two other recent robberies. Those two men are David Rodriguez, 19, and Dujuan Daniels, 19.
Police believe Rodriguez was behind a robbery at the L'Amyx Tea Bar at 3437 Lakeshore Avenue on July 16. Both Rodriguez and Daniels are thought by police to have been involved in a robbery at El Torero taqueria at 5801 International Blvd. on July 18.
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, who has been criticized as not being involved enough in solving the city's crime woes, urged rattled residents to continue their regular routines, but to keep a diligent eye out for trouble.
"We cannot allow a few people to capture the esprit de corps of the people of Oakland," said Dellums. "We will continue our significant efforts to address these issues until we've brought all the culprits to justice."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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