Daylight Armed Robbery In Downtown Lafayette Saturday

A police spokesman has confirmed reports Patch received Saturday about a daylight armed robbery in the McCaulou's parking lot.

Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said the incident occurred just before 3 p.m. in the parking lot as the suspect approached a 71-year-old woman, displayed a handgun and made off with her purse.

Lee confirmed witness accounts that the suspect also brandished the weapon in the direction of a witness who tried to intervene.

The gunman, described as a black male in his early 20s, fled in a 4-door maroon-colored car last seen heading west on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Lafayette police responded but could not locate the suspect or vehicle. No one was injured during the robbery.

Lee asked anyone with any information on the case should call the police at (925) 646-2441. 

Also Saturday, Patch received a report of an incident at the corner of Mosswood and Village Center, where two women parked prior to a walk to the Lafayette Reservoir. Both women put their purses in the trunk of their vehicle.

Witnesses reported hearing a car alarm sounding soon after and noticed that the driver's side window had been smashed. They told Patch a man was seen taking the purses and leaving the area in a black truck.