Three men who allegedly carried out a Turlock home invasion robbery were arrested early Wednesday morning in a Ceres neighborhood by members of the Ceres Police Department SWAT team.
Arrested on suspicion of carrying out the home invasion robbery were Justin Singh, 27, Austin Singh, 33, and Climon Adari, 26. The three men were identified as the suspects because the victim in the robbery knew Justin Singh and authorities had a quick access to his location, because he was a probationer assigned to wear a GPS monitoring device on his ankle.
The victim reported the robbery in the 1200 block of Lambert Way shortly after midnight Wednesday. She told the Turlock Police investigators that two men came into her home through an unlocked door. According to her statement, Justin Singh was the one who took her purse and other personal property while Austin Singh stood at the door with the assault rifle.
The victim told police that they men fled in a white Nissan Murano, allegedly driven by Adari, said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis.
Investigators checked Singh's GPS location through the Probation Department and it showed him to be in the area of Whitmore and Rose avenues.
Shortly after the robbery was reported, a Ceres patrol officer went to the location and spotted a white Murano parked in the driveway of a residence in the 2700 block of Whitmore Avenue. Because of the thick fog covering the area, the officer could not make out the license plate number so he doubled back to check it out while radioing for backup. Other officers began creating a perimeter. Because of the reported sighting of AK-47s, two Ceres officers jumped into the Ceres Police armored SWAT van and drove to the home. Officers from the Sheriff's Department, Modesto and Turlock police and the California Highway Patrol also rushed to the site.
As the armored vehicle arrived, the driver of the Nissan - occupied by two men - was attempting to back up, said Sgt. Berber. The van was used to ram the vehicle, pinning the Nissan in the driveway. The occupants were apprehended without incident.
A search of the Nissan turned up a Sig Sauer AR-15 rifle on the floorboard in front of the front passenger seat and a zip-lock plastic baggie nearly filled with marijuana.
Unsure if the house was occupied, Ceres police called over the loudspeaker for any occupants to surrender. After 15 to 30 minutes of announcements, the Sheriff's Department sent in a remote control robot device with camera to view the interior of the house in video monitors. The house was unoccupied, said Sgt. Berber.
Both Justin Singh and Austin Singh were taken into custody at the Ceres residence. It's unknown where or when Adari was taken into custody.
All three men were arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of an illegal firearm, Justin Singh also was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon and a violation of his probation, and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Austin Singh also was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and assault with a firearm.
Sabra Stafford contributed to this article.
More information will be posted as we have it.
