Shareef Pendergrass booked on six armed robbery counts after UC Riverside area crimes

Six counts of armed robbery now sit on the docket for Shareef Pendergrass, 18, who was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on Monday. His bail was set at $280,000 following a joint investigation by the Riverside Police Department and UC Riverside Police Department. The arrest concluded a search for the suspect involved in three distinct incidents that unfolded over two days in late October.

The initial incident was reported on Oct. 23 at approximately 7:57 p.m. near the Islamic Center of Riverside on West Linden Street. A UC Riverside student walking in the area was approached from behind by a suspect on a scooter who demanded money. The victim told investigators he believed the suspect was armed with a handgun. Police clarified that the student had no affiliation with the Islamic Center. A second robbery was reported later that evening near Blaine Street and Canyon Crest Drive, close to the Stonehaven Apartments, under similar circumstances.

A third robbery occurred the following day around 7:07 p.m. at the University Crest Apartments at 3130 Canyon Crest Drive. Authorities stated that all three robberies shared similar circumstances, leading officers to connect the incidents. Investigators searched Pendergrass's residence after his arrest and recovered evidence linking him to the crimes.

The investigation remains ongoing. Detective Stanley Hua of Riverside police can be reached at 951-353-7135 or SHua@RiversideCA.gov. UC Riverside police Detective Jonathan Estrada is available at 951-827-6197 or Jonathan.Estrada@UCR.edu.

Pendergrass was arrested on Oct. 26, four days after the first reported robbery. The three victims were all targeted in the vicinity of campus housing and commercial areas. No other arrests have been announced in connection with these specific robberies.