Eight of 15 arrested in connection to violent robbery of Fresno hookah lounge, cops say
Fresno police arrested eight of 15 men they say took part in a violent armed robbery at a hookah lounge, Chief Paco Balderrama said Thursday.
He said the men went into the lounge about 3 a.m. on Nov. 27, which was when the shop closed, and began striking, threatening and cursing the people inside before demanding money.
They were armed with handguns and an automatic shotgun, he said.
Police declined to give an exact location or a name for the lounge citing an ongoing investigation into the men still at large.
Balderrama said the effort was part of his plan to rein in robberies, which rose by 18% in 2022 from the previous year. He has said some of that increase was because of organized retail theft which, when it fails, often becomes robbery.
“I know that together we’re going to make a big dent in our robberies,” he said. “And I know that we do look for double digit decreases in 2023.”
The robbery involved members of two gangs who worked together, he said.
“We want to send the message that if you are a violent gang member who is focused on hurting our community, we’re not going to put up with it,” he said. “We will come after you.”
Local, state and federal law enforcement were involved in the effort to serve 12 search warrants on Wednesday and make the eight arrests, he said.
The lounge was known to police who had responded there in the past for crimes, he said.
Police said the robbery was not connected to the Dec. 5 shooting at a hookah lounge at another location on Shaw and Blackstone avenues.
