Victim in Milpitas armed robbery left dashcam on, recorded images of suspect

MILPITAS, Calif. (KTVU) - Police in Milpitas are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect they said violently robbed a man at gunpoint in the parking lot of a popular Asian supermarket. A camera inside the victim's car captured the crime.
 
Police are now releasing images of the suspect from the victim's camera. The hold-up happened behind the Ocean Supermarket on Calaveras Court and Calaveras Boulevard.
                
Milpitas Police said the suspect was armed with a pistol when he walked up to a 45-year-old man and demanded his money and cell phone.
 
It happened Tuesday at 9 p.m. Milpitas Police said the victim had stopped at the Ocean Supermarket to take a break before heading home to San Jose.
 
“The victim was tired on his drive home from work stopped to have a cigarette, got out of his vehicle and that's when the suspect approached him,” said Lt. Raj Maharaj of Milpitas Police. 
 
Detectives are hoping these photos will help lead them to the suspect. They describe him as a Hispanic man, 25 to 30 years old, roughly 5’ 6” inches tall and 160 pounds. He’s seen wearing a gray bandana, a Sharks hooded sweatshirt and glasses. He took off in a silver or gold-colored sedan.
 
“It appears to be a crime of opportunity,” said Lt. Maharaj. “Maybe someone driving by saw him standing there
maybe not paying attention to his surroundings and took advantage of that situation.”
 
The victim wasn't seriously injured but was shaken up. Weng Lin Tang lives down the street, shops at ocean supermarket, and read about it on next door
 
“I’m shocked because Milpitas is usually very safe except at the borders but more or less it's always safe,” said Weng Lin Tang of Milpitas. “I hope the cops get him because you don't want it to repeat again in Milpitas.”
 
The victim was standing outside his car. Inside his car, unbeknownst to the suspect, a camera was rolling.
                
“Oh wow he's so lucky,” said Tang. 
 
“That’s all it takes, one camera and boom you're done, you're going to jail,” said Will Perez of Milpitas.
 
In the parking lot, we spotted a handful of cars with dash cameras in their vehicles. Police said, in this case, the video evidence is crucial.
 
“If we didn't have those images provided by his cameras we may not have any leads to follow up on,” said Lt. Maharaj. 
 
Police said, they haven't had any hold-ups before at the Ocean Supermarket parking lot but overall, there's an uptick in street robberies. Police are hoping to get more video from the Bank of the West across the street.