Crime & Safety
Antioch Man Arrested in ATM Strong-Arm Attempt
An alert witness reported the license plate number of the getaway car to Pleasant Hill police.
With the help of an alert witness, police have charged an Antioch man with armed robbery after a Jan. 27 struggle at a Pleasant Hill bank.
Charged by the district attorney's office was Joseph Nathan Dukes, 23, of Antioch.
A press release by PHPD Lt. Dan Connelly gave the following account:
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At 7:15 p.m. Jan. 27, officers responded to the ATM machine of the Wells Fargo bank at 699 Contra Costa Blvd. The victim told officers that the suspect approached him from behind, displayed a handgun, and demanded money and property. The victim refused. The two struggled.
The suspect ran to a waiting vehicle. A witness scratched down the license number of the vehicle. That evening detectives contacted the owners of the vehicle and arrested two people as accomplices. The suspect who attempted the robbery was not located. Detectives believe Dukes was responsible for two other robberies that evening in Pacheco and Bay Point.
Officers, in conjunction with the Antioch PD, executed a search warrant on Dukes' house. Dukes was not initially located until Feb. 1, when he was arrested on the warrant.
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