Brazen Thieves On 'Grab And Go' Crime Spree At Davis Coffee Shops

DAVIS (CBS13) — Davis police are trying to crack down on a coffee shop crime spree. Thieves have been targeting customers as they study or work in shops. Now investigators are hoping surveillance video will lead to an arrest.

Marie Whitney-Fowcett is the latest victim in the computer theft crime wave.

"I was sitting just inside here," Whitney-Fowcett said. "It was so fast, I never even saw their faces."

Surveillance video shows the robbery suspects snatching laptops right off the tables of a downtown Davis Peet's Coffee shop then running out the door.

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"When I saw them start to run, I tried to grab my computer and they wrestled it from my hand," Whitney Fowcett said.

It's the second time this Peet's has been hit by the grab and go suspects. In total, Davis police say there have been at least five similar crimes in coffee shops over the last two months.

Some victims have been injured while trying to fight back, including during a robbery inside a Temple Coffee.

In Whitney-Fowcett's case, she chose to chase the thieves all the way to their getaway car.

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"While I was halfway out the door the driver started to go, so at that point I sort of let them shove me out back onto the street," Whitney-Fowcett said.

Various vehicles have been used in the incidents, including one that was caught on camera being used after a Starbucks robbery.

Police say it's common for people to bring a laptop or tablet to work in to study in these coffee shops.

Recently, a similar grab and go crime happened in Roseville. Police say they are trying to see if they're dealing with the same suspects.