SACRAMENTO — After a mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint in South Sacramento Friday, police are asking for the public to be vigilant and to be extra careful with their mail.
“This street especially is really quiet, there’s no problems. I’ve been here five years, not a single problem ever,” said neighbor Camka Gusic.
However, Gusic knew that had changed Friday morning as she walked out to find police cars on her street, Calle Royale Way.
“Just saw the patrol cars and a couple of cars trying to talk to neighbors,” Gusic said.
Gusic’s mail carrier had been robbed at gunpoint, near the corner with Franklin Boulevard.
“Luckily the postal carrier wasn’t injured in any way,” said Linda Matthew with the Sacramento Police Department. “But we have our detectives working in conjunction with the postal service on this crime.”
It was a crime that comes with a steep penalty — up to 25 years in federal prison.
Another armed robbery suspect received more than seven years just last fall. Juan Carlos Maldonado robbed a mail carrier with a handgun in Rancho Cordova in 2016.
One big concern that neighbors have is that the robber got away with the keys the mail carrier was carrying, which means he can get access to residents’ mail.
“I mean we all get mail here and important mail, so what’s going to happen with our mail?” Gusic said.
The postal service said it is looking to make security upgrades in the area, but so far it’s unclear just how many mailboxes the suspect may now have access to.
That has police asking for the public’s help.
“Anyone who might be around a mailbox that doesn’t appear to be a postal carrier, or doesn’t have a uniform on, or anyone who is taking mail out of it rather than putting mail in,” Matthew said.
In the meantime, both police and the postal service warn against leaving outgoing mail in your mailbox overnight and recommend dropping it off at the post office instead.
Gusic said that will certainly be an inconvenience for her family.
“I mean all checks go out, paying your mortgage, paying your bills. Everything goes out,” she said.
Police describe the suspect in Friday’s robbery as a shorter black man, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, 120 to 140 pounds and between 20 to 26 years old.
The law enforcement branch of the postal service is working with Sacramento Police on the case. That agency is offering a $50,000 reward for any information that can lead to an arrest. On Monday, the United States Postal Inspection Service announced they will offer a $10,000 reward to anyone who can lead them to the keys.
To report information call the postal service at 1-877-876-2455 and select option 2.
