A cops and robbers” drama played out shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Ripona Market where five individuals allegedly robbed the small mom and pop store of cash, alcohol and a loaded firearm.
A 911 call to Ripon police brought all available Ripon officers along with two units responding from the Manteca Police Department converging on the neighborhood around the store located in the 200 block of Washington Street adjacent to the northbound lanes of Highway 99. Sheriff’s deputies were also responding to the scene on a mutual aid request, but on their arrival the Ripon officers had the incident under control.
The robbers had reportedly entered the store where they closed the front door and turned off the lights to prevent the two clerks from later identifying them. With Ripon units en route the young men fled on foot down the Frontage Road scattering farther to the east after officers had set up a perimeter in the 300 block of Manley Road a mile and a half away from the market. Citizens called in suspect sightings and officers used the information to move in on the teens.
Police Chief Ed Ormonde located two of the suspects near the Shell station at the Main Street overcrossing of Highway 99 and the Mistlin water feature on East Main Street where the chief took one into custody without incident. The second bolted away and temporarily remained at large.
Two of the five were spotted attempting to break through the perimeter on Manley Road and multiple officers became involved in a foot pursuit. Lt. Steve Merchant arrested a second suspect at taser point in the 300 block of Manley. A third suspect was found hiding in a shed on Wells Court by Ripon officer Kenny Steele. He was taken into custody without incident..
The first three of the suspects were in handcuffs within 32 minutes of the 911 call from the store, according to Merchant.
Detectives with Ripon’s Special Investigations Unit uncovered information later in the day that led them into Modesto and the identity of the fourth suspect. He was arrested in the 4200 block of Eldenberry Court in that city. Merchant said he was taken into custody without incident.
Detectives subsequently located a fifth suspect who was brought to the Ripon Police Department where he was interrogated and arrested for his part in the robbery.
Yousef Foadmohssen Elsumari and Christian Jeffrey Hudec, both 18 of Modesto were booked into the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp on charges that included armed robbery, conspiracy, kidnapping, false imprisonment with violence, assault with the possibility of great bodily injury, brandishing a firearm and theft of a firearm.
The firearms used were a combination of replicas and a real weapon, the report stated.
Three 17-year-old juveniles were booked into the San Joaquin County’s Peterson Hall on identical charges, according to the Ripon police report.
Elsumari was being held in lieu of $1,003,000 bail and Hudec has a bail amount of $1,006,000. Both are scheduled to appear before a judge on Friday at 1:25 p.m. in the Manteca Branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court.
Chief Ormonde said his department would like to thank the citizens of Ripon for their assistance with the safe capture of the fleeing armed robbery suspects.
To Contact Glenn Kahl email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3539.
