Officials say they've identified, arrested and charged the teenager who shot a gun in a San Jose mall days before Christmas, making the announcement months after he was taken into custody and arraigned.
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Santa Clara County prosecutors and San Jose police said in separate press releases on Thursday that Naylen Hobson-Plattner, 18, pulled out and fired a handgun shortly after two alleged gang members robbed him and his girlfriend of jewelry at Oakridge Mall last Dec. 20.
The alleged robbers, 18-year-old Paul Lebeau and 19-year-old Ulises Jimenez, were arrested earlier this year on robbery charges. Prosecutors said the pair is out of custody until their next court hearing.
Police said Hobson-Plattner fired "approximately" 15 shots in the crowded mall, using a handgun that had been illegally modified for fully automatic shooting.
Surveillance footage released on Thursday showed a person pulling a gun from a bag as another person tried to restrain them, shortly after a verbal confrontation with two other people. After the shooter opens fire, the person who tried to restrain them takes cover, before the duo walks away.
Officials said the shooter was Hobson-Plattner, the person restraining him was his girlfriend and the two people who approached them were Jimenez and Lebeau.
The San Jose Police Department said it arrested Hobson-Plattner on Jan. 12, and Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office records showed he was booked a day later. Police said he was booked on multiple charges of attempted with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of an assault weapon.
Hobson-Plattner has been held without bail since then and, according to court records, has a plea hearing scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. in the San Jose Hall of Justice. According to court records, the 18-year-old first had arraignment hearings on Jan. 14 and Jan. 18, followed by a plea hearing on March 2.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said in a release on Thursday that Hobson-Plattner, as well as the two alleged robbers, have all been arrested, charged and arraigned. The second of the two robbery suspects was arrested on March 9, and the first was arrested on Jan. 25.
San Jose Police Sgt. Christian Camarillo claimed in a press conference on Thursday that officials didn't release information because they didn't want to risk "jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation." He added that "bad guys watch the news as well" and that police and prosecutors wanted to "keep them in the dark."
The District Attorney's Office said Thursday that "more arrests are expected" in what's an "ongoing" investigation.
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