Watch Concord California Police Stop Carjacking Rampage of Fleeing Armed Bank Robbers

By Jordan Parker

Source San Francisco Chronicle

The Concord Police Department released body-worn camera footage and videos last week showing an officer shooting an armed man who police say committed an armed robbery at a credit union in April.

The department identified the officer as Sergeant Ramirez and the suspect as Cruz Vargas, 29. A second suspect in the incident was identified as Elijah Phillips, 21.

The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office charged Vargas, who was injured in the shooting, with several felonies, including robbery, evading, brandishing a firearm at a peace officer, and hit-and-run, among others, police said. The DA's office charged Phillips with three counts of robbery, two counts of carjacking and possession of a machine gun, according to police.

At about 9:42 a.m. on April 21, two masked men entered the Diablo Valley Credit on Detroit Avenue in Concord and robbed bank tellers at gunpoint, police said. Security footage from the bank showed the men stashing money in bags with a gun placed on the counter.

Officers located their vehicle on Monument Boulevard near Buskirk Avenue and pursued it on southbound I-680, police said. Vargas and Phillips encountered heavy traffic in Sunol and their car was disabled, according to police. Vargas and Phillips carjacked the driver of another car at gunpoint and continued to flee from officers, police said.

Cell phone video released by the department showed Vargas and Phillips forcing the driver of a Tesla from his vehicle at gunpoint, however, the driver was able to disable his Tesla, police said. The pair then carjacked the driver of a car who filmed the first carjacking, police said.

As the second carjacking occurred, a video showed an officer identified as Corporal Parsley arriving at the scene to find the victims, who were not physically harmed. "Hey, let me see your hands," Parsley, who had his gun drawn, yelled at the suspects. Moments later, the suspects drove away. "Hey, are you okay? ," Parsley asked the victims.

Officers continued to pursue the vehicle down southbound I-680 and into San Jose, police said. "Okay he stalled out," Ramirez said in a video released by police. "We're flipping a U-turn. Back on Lundy (Avenue). He's got a mask on. Couldn't really see if there was anybody else in the car but it looks to be solo."

Police eventually determined both suspects were in the car. The driver ran multiple red lights and drove into oncoming traffic, according to police. Ramirez lost sight of the car before locating it again on Berryessa Road. The pair's car crashed into another car on Marbury Road and was disabled, police said, adding that the suspects fled on foot. Phillips ran north on Timothy Drive, while Vargas ran on Marbury Road with Ramirez and another Concord officer chasing behind him, police said.

"Both have firearms," Ramirez said on video. Ramirez, driving in his car, caught up to the fleeing Vargas, yelling again "Get on the ground. 'He's got a gun with a drum on it,' Ramirez said into a phone.

After Vargas attempted to carjack the driver of another car, Ramirez fired his gun, appearing to strike Vargas with a bullet in his back. Vargas appeared to fall down and then got up and continued running a short distance before Ramirez and a second officer tracked him down, subdued and arrested him.

"Shots fired, shots fired, one suspect being taken into custody," Ramirez said.

Officers provided aid to Vargas until paramedics arrived at the scene and he was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. His condition was not immediately known. San Jose police responded to the scene and found Elijah Phillips, who was taken into custody and found to be in possession of the money stolen from the credit union, police said.

San Jose police and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office investigated the officer-involved shooting. Concord police detectives investigated the bank robbery, carjackings and related crimes that began in the city and continued in San Jose, the department said.

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