Two suspects have been arrested in San Ramon in connection with what police believe are a series of jewelry thefts targeting the elderly across the Bay Area.
Alex Ghiocel, 24, and Elena Gunici, 21, were pulled over by San Ramon police at around 3:15 p.m. Monday after their vehicle was flagged by an automated license plate reader.
Officers received an alert that the vehicle was involved in a theft on Sunday where a 74-year-old woman was targeted in a "quick-change" style jewelry grab, officials said.
The theft was the tenth jewelry robbery of its kind reported to San Ramon police since late November. In each case, a female suspect approached an elderly victim and removed the victim's jewelry using confusion and sleight-of-hand techniques, police said.
In one incident, a woman was left bleeding after the thieves robbed her of her gold necklace and two carat diamond ring.
Ghiocel and Gunici were arrested and booked on multiple felony charges, including grand theft, theft from an elder/dependent adult and conspiracy to commit a crime.
The couple has been positively identified by at least one San Ramon victim, and detectives are working to connect previous cases, officials said.
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