On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, at approximately 2:45 p.m., a male working as a landscaper was preparing to mow a lawn at a residence in the 4400 block of Caren St., in the Irvington neighborhood. As he was getting his equipment ready, an unknown male approached on foot and asked for water. The landscaper gave him a bottle of water and then turned his back to continue on with his work. Seconds later, the male suspect slapped the victim (landscaper) with a glove from behind and got into the driver's seat of the truck. After a brief struggle, the suspect drove off in the victim’s vehicle southbound on Caren St. The keys to the vehicle had been left within the cab. The victim was fortunately not injured.
Officers immediately responded to the scene and searched for the suspect. During a canvass of the area, video surveillance cameras were located at a nearby residence. The video shows the suspect walking in the area just before the incident occurred.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male approximately 28 years old, wearing a checkered shirt and brown pants.
The victim's vehicle is a 1991 Toyota Tacoma, grey in color with a white tool box. The bed of the truck contained landscaping equipment, including a chainsaw and a trimmer. The license plate is 4G36603.
Detectives are releasing the attached photos in an effort to identify the suspect. It’s believed that the suspect may be known locally to the area. Anyone with information is asked to please contact Detective Butcher at [email protected] or call 510-790-6900. To send an anonymous tip, please text Tip FremontPD followed by your message to 888777.
