A pair of 18-year-old Manteca residents have been arrested for two armed robberies – in Modesto and in Manteca – a half an hour apart Tuesday evening in the parking lots at Vintage Faire Mall and at the Bass Pro Shops.
Modesto Police said a firearm was discharged in the Vintage Fair Mall parking lot robbery. It was used to fire upon the victims striking their vehicle once.
A Manteca dispatcher received a call at 7:51 p.m. reporting a robbery with a semi-automatic firearm in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops at Union Road and the 120 Bypass. The victim told officers a male subject approached him as he sat in his vehicle and pointed a black pistol at him and demanded his money. Fearing for his life he gave the teen his money and the suspect fled towards the Tesla charging station near the freeway.
The victim, who was not injured, provided a detailed description of the suspect and another man who was with him.
As the police were responding, the victim reported seeing the suspect getting into the passenger side of a two-door vehicle and he attempted to follow them toward the JC Penney store near Union Road.
Modesto police said the robbery at Vintage Faire occurred about 7 p.m. Tuesday when a man and woman left the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and were sitting in their car when they were robbed. The couple told police they complied with the man’s order to give him their money and then he was seen getting into a white sedan and flee the area.
Manteca officers were able to obtain a security video footage of the suspect car leaving the Bass Pro parking area that captured the license plate numbers. Police located the suspect vehicle Wednesday morning when they conducted a high-risk traffic stop at the Shell service station in the 1300 block of East Yosemite Avenue near Highway 99 and ordered driver Charles Lesley Jr. out of the car at gunpoint. He was taken into custody without incident. Lesley was then identified as the driver of the white suspect vehicle used during the robbery, and the second suspect – not with him at the time – was identified a Juanya Laddtermore.
A search warrant for Laddtermore’s apartment in the 1200 block of East Atherton Drive was obtained by the Manteca Police Department with the SWAT team arresting him with the firearm believed used in the robbery located hidden in the apartment.
Laddtermore was charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony, assault with a firearm, being felon in possession of ammunition, a felon in possession of a firearm, criminal storage of a firearm and possession of a firearm with the serial numbers removed. He was taken to San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp under $705,000 bail and scheduled to appear in the Manteca Branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m. today.
Lesley was charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony.
He also was transported to the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp and is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail. He will also appear in the Manteca Branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court at 1:25 p.m. today. When the Manteca prosecution is complete Modesto Police will present their charges.
To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.
