Six people have been arrested in connection to violent home invasions across the Bay Area, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
It appears the suspects may also be linked to the recent string of armed robberies in Contra Costa County, including an Orinda shooting involving suspects wearing Halloween masks.
In that case, Tom Spalding and his wife, Carol Brown, had just returned home from the supermarket on Sept. 26 when they were held up at gunpoint on their driveway in Orinda. The two suspects pistol-whipped Spalding and shot Brown twice before fleeing the scene with a wallet and purse in hand.
Spalding, 63, said that he thought the mask-wearing suspects, who police believe followed the couple home, were playing an early Halloween prank until guns were brandished. The barrel of one of the weapons was used to strike Spalding in the forehead before shots were fired, hitting Brown in the arm and pelvis.
The California Highway Patrol, K-9s, air support and other law enforcement agencies were utilized to hunt down the suspects after the attack, but police were unsuccessful.
Both victims are doing OK, but Spalding says his wife, the Orinda Union School District board vice president, will likely have a long recovery.
The affluent city in Contra Costa County is routinely among the top 10 safest towns in California.
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Authorities say the suspects may be linked to other armed robberies in Contra Costa County. In each case, the victims were robbed at gunpoint while sitting in their own cars parked in their driveways at night.
"It does seem very suspicious that they happened the same way," said Micah Spaulding, the victims' son.
For now, Micah Spaulding is focusing on his mom. The Orinda school board member is still in the hospital trying to recover.
"She got shot in the arm, bone shattered and then she has a bullet caught in her chest area," Micah Spaulding said.
