DANVILLE (CBS SF) – Prosecutors in Contra Costa County have charged a man with multiple felonies in connection with a crime spree in Danville and San Ramon last week.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced that 30-year-old Philander Johnson has been charged with robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, along with two counts of carjacking for kidnapping. As of Tuesday, Johnson is awaiting arraignment.
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“This brazen crime spree is a flagrant violation of community safety,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said. “Those who engage in such criminality will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.”
According to prosecutors, Johnson and two unidentified accomplices entered the Ace Hardware in Blackhawk on November 24 and attempted to steal several power tools. After being confronted by store staff, prosecutors said he brandished a knife and escaped.
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Prosecutors said Johnson, who had separated from the accomplices, then held a driver at knifepoint in the parking lot and told him to drive out of the area.
After arriving in San Ramon, prosecutors said he abandoned the car and proceeded to enter a second occupied vehicle and threatened the driver. Police who were nearby conducted a traffic stop and made an arrest.
No injuries were reported in the incidents.
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According to jail records, Johnson is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on $1.24 million bail. Johnson is also pending adjudication on an unrelated shoplifting case which had previously been filed in August of this year.