On the evening of Thursday, December 26, 2019, Fairfield police responded to two separate robbery calls moments apart on N Texas Street. As the community was celebrating the Christmas season, two suspects were engaged in a spree of criminal activity.
Both robbery victims provided swift, vital information to police dispatch, which helped officers track down a suspect vehicle—a white Toyota sedan missing its front bumper. While some officers responded directly to the robbery scenes, others patrolled the area to locate the vehicle. The sedan was soon spotted driving recklessly on N Texas Street, but due to dangerous driving and heavy traffic, officers were forced to discontinue the pursuit.
Shortly after, officers came upon a four-vehicle collision near Texas Street and Jackson Street, where the suspects had fled the scene. Victims and bystanders provided directions to officers, who set up a perimeter around nearby homes and businesses to search for the suspects. A police K9 helped locate one of the suspects hiding behind a business on Jackson Street. The suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Joseph Albert Gomez Jr. from Oakland, was apprehended and taken to North Bay Medical Center for injuries before being booked into county jail.
The second suspect was found on Taylor Street after failing to comply with officers’ commands and threatening to harm himself. Officers were able to safely subdue 28-year-old Vicente Jimenez-Lopez, also from Oakland, with the use of a Taser. He was taken into custody after being medically cleared at the hospital.
The stolen Toyota sedan, which had been carjacked two days earlier in Oakland, was linked to the robbery spree. Both suspects face a variety of charges, including robbery, battery on an officer, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle, and fleeing the scene of an accident. Jimenez-Lopez also had an outstanding parole violation warrant, and Gomez was on probation in Alameda County, leading to additional charges for both.
The Fairfield Police Department expressed gratitude to the victims and alert citizens whose cooperation helped end the crime spree. Without their assistance, the suspects may have continued their criminal activities.
