3 suspects arrested in separate San Jose armed robberies, pistol-whipping

By Carlos E. Castañeda

Three young men were arrested following separate armed robberies in San Jose that included one person getting pistol-whipped, police said.

The first incident happened on August 9 at 12:44 a.m. on East San Fernando Street between First and Second Streets in Downtown San Jose. The San Jose Police Department said in a press release on Tuesday that a person was in his vehicle in a parking lot when two armed suspects approached him, took his jewelry, and fled before officers arrived.

During the subsequent investigation, detectives learned about another armed robbery that happened on Sept. 8 on Edenvale Avenue between Branham Lane and Chynoweth Avenue in South San Jose. Police said the victim was attempting to sell items of clothing online, and when the victim arrived at the location, he was ambushed by four suspects, two of whom were armed. 

One of the gunmen struck the victim with the firearm’s handle during the altercation, causing moderate injuries, police said. The suspects stole the victim’s clothing and fled the scene.

Detectives identified 19-year-old Silas Willis and 20-year-old Dwonne Brown, both San Jose residents, as the primary suspects in the armed robberies. Another suspect, 19-year-old San Jose resident Tyshawn Saunders, was identified as a suspect in the September armed robbery, police said. 

On September 9, officers located and arrested Willis, Brown and Saunders in San Jose. A search of their homes yielded an unserialized, privately-made “ghost gun” along with evidence of the crimes, police said. 

All three suspects were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for armed robbery.

Police asked anyone with information about the cases to contact Detective Marte #4621 of the Police Department’s robbery unit at 4621@sanjoseca.gov or at 408-277-4166.