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Davis

Davis, California

Thursday, March 28, 2024

More arrests made in February NAK fraternity robbery

Two more suspects arrested in NAK robbery

UC Davis police have tracked down two more suspects of a Feb. 20 robbery outside the on-campus Nu Alpha Kappa (NAK) fraternity house.

Police arrested 19-year-old Daniel Chavez on the morning of the robbery. Police used the WarnMe notification system to tell the campus community that a single suspect was still at large, at the time believing that only one other person was involved. They described the unidentified man as possibly armed and dangerous.

At the end of March, investigators named a second suspect, Julio Rodriguez, also 19. Rodriguez was spending time in the Monterey County Jail, where he was being held on unrelated charges. He has since been moved to Yolo County.

After an investigation, police arrested a third suspect, a 15-year-old, whose name has not been released.

Chavez is in custody in Yolo County for three gun charges and a charge of auto theft in connection with the incident at NAK.

Police said Chavez, Rodriguez and the minor, all of Soledad, Calif. robbed four men at gunpoint outside the fraternity house on Parkway Circle, after the three suspects were asked to leave a party at the house.

After the robbery, the suspects allegedly stole a car – using a set of keys taken from a table in the house. The suspects crashed the car into the fence of a nearby daycare center. Police recovered a gun from the daycare’s playground that one of the suspects apparently threw over the fence.

Campus police learned of the 15-year-old’s alleged involvement after city police linked the suspects to an alleged assault the night before at a party on Mulberry Lane.

According to Davis Police Department (DPD) lieutenant Paul Doroshov, on Feb. 19, the same suspects assaulted two people at a party on Mulberry Lane. The suspects grabbed a 20-year-old female. When her 22-year-old boyfriend confronted the suspects, they beat him, pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him. At that time, no one called the police and the assault went unreported until a couple of weeks later.

Chavez was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Yolo County Superior Court on March 25, for the robbery at the fraternity house. The hearing was rescheduled for May 5, given the new charges that he faces in connection with the Mulberry Lane case.

Charges are pending for the other suspects.

Catalytic converter thefts plague West Davis

Since Feb. 26, around 26 catalytic converter thefts have been reported in Davis. The majority of these thefts occurred in west Davis, but they have been moving east to central Davis.

According to police, thieves are targeting Toyota pickups, Toyota utility vehicles and are striking during the late night to early morning hours.

Catalytic converters cost between $1,200 to $2,000 to replace, with labor and parts. Converter thieves recycle the parts into metal for a profit. Since June of 2010, around 40 converter thefts have been reported to the DPD.

Doroshov said there is a decent amount of property crime in Davis, but that most of the robberies could be prevented.

“People feeling too safe is their worst enemy,” Doroshov said. “You simply need to make sure your windows are closed, doors are locked and that you don’t leave your laptop in your car, otherwise these crimes become easy scores.”

No arrests have been made and there are currently no leads in the converter thefts.

South Davis stabbing remains unsolved

There have been no arrests made in the case of a stabbing and fight that occurred at Avalon Apartments on Feb. 25. A 19-year-old male was injured and an 18-year-old male was stabbed in the chest. Doroshov said the case cannot be discussed because it is still under open investigation.

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached city@theaggie.org. 

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