OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Fox 2) - Four suspects who police say pepper-sprayed employees during smash-and-grabs at two Oakland County malls were caught and charged last week.
Hernan Parraquez-Mondaca, Michael Aguilar-Mondaca, Sandrino Rojas-Palma, and Nicholas Caceres-Henriquez were arraigned Saturday on charges stemming from the crimes that happened two weeks apart.
Auburn Hills police were called to MJ Diamonds at Great Lakes Crossing around 4:30 p.m. Aug. 11 because two men in surgical masks were smashing cases with hammers and stealing jewelry. Police said the suspects pepper-sprayed employees before fleeing.
Investigators identified the suspect vehicle as a black Kia Soul belonging to Aguilar-Mondaca. They also learned that the suspects had been at the mall two days prior.
The investigation was turned over to the FBI’s Oakland County Gang and Violent Crimes Task Force. At 5:42 p.m. Aug. 24, the task force was surveilling near Oakland Mall in Troy in an attempt to find the suspect vehicle from the other robbery.
Investigators saw three suspects wearing masks get out of a black Kia Soul and enter Macy’s at the mall. They then got onto northbound I-75, turned on the vehicle's hazard lights, and parked on the shoulder, directly across the parking lot from the Macy’s entrance, police said.
The three suspects then went to the jewelry counter at Macy's, pepper-sprayed the employees, and began smashing cases with hammers. After, they left the store, ran across the parking lot, and jumped the freeway fence into their awaiting vehicle parked on the shoulder.
Police stopped the suspect vehicle and arrested all four suspects without further incident. The stolen jewelry was recovered, along with cash and other evidence connecting them to the Great Lake Crossing robbery, police said.
Parraquez-Mondaca, Aguilar-Mondaca, and Rojas-Palma are charged with five counts of armed robbery, five counts of felonious assault, and two counts of malicious destruction of property. Caceres-Henriquez is charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of malicious destruction of property.