Three men were arrested by the Ceres Police Department’s SWAT team for an armed home invasion robbery of a Turlock residence Wednesday night.
The suspects were found in possession of an assault rifle, marijuana, cash, and property taken during the robbery when they were boxed into their vehicle by an armored SWAT van Wednesday, the Ceres Police Department reported.
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 home invasion 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 before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. She told the Turlock Police investigators that two men came into her home through an unlocked door. According to the 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 two men left the residence with the property and got into a white Nissan Murano, allegedly driven by Adari, said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis.
After learning of Justin Singh’s suspected involvement in the home invasion robbery and his monitoring system, investigators contacted the probation department and learned of his whereabouts.
The GPS showed Justin Singh to be in the area of Whitmore and Rose avenues in Ceres. A Ceres Police 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, said Ceres Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jose Berber.
A perimeter around the home was set up and because of the presence of at least one assault rifle, the armored SWAT van was brought to the scene. Officers from the Sheriff's Department, Modesto and Turlock police departments and the California Highway Patrol also rushed to the site.
Just as the armored SWAT vehicle arrived, the Murano, occupied by two men, was attempting to pull out of the driveway, said Berber. The SWAT vehicle was used to pin the Murano in the driveway.
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, Berber said.
Unsure if the house was occupied, Ceres police called over the loudspeaker for any occupants to surrender. After an estimated 30 minutes of announcements, the Sheriff's Department sent in a remote control robot device with a camera to view the interior of the house and found it unoccupied.
Both Justin Singh and Austin Singh were taken inot 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.
Ceres Courier Editor Jeff Benziger contributed to the report.
