ANTIOCH — Contra Costa Sheriff’s investigators raided a home on the 4800 block of Vinewood Way expecting to find guns, phones and evidence related to robberies and shootings by the notorious Tre-4 gang, a group with origins in San Francisco but has been pushed out to the East Bay.
The deputies likely didn’t expect the evidence to be laid out so explicitly. In the home of suspected gang members Jalin Washington and Don-Juan Watson, authorities say they found “a little black book” entitled “Welcome to the Bay.”
It contained handwritten notes on how to plot robberies, scout victims, evade government surveillance and what to do in the event of a murder, according to police testimony.
Testifying at a 2023 preliminary hearing for Washington, Watson, and two others, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Detective Jeffrey Jackson said the notebook had “extensive” instructions that revealed just how much detail and planning can go into street robberies.
It included tips and steps like wearing a mask when buying a pay-as-you-go cellphone with cash and keeping a “robbery kit” that includes wet wipes, a change of clothes and equipment to swap out license plates on cars.
“It mentioned to burn clothes only if someone dies,” Jackson testified.
Another entry was about how to use “scout cars.” They should be purchased online — preferably for less than $10,000 — and contain unarmed people who can communicate with robbers about good potential targets, Jackson testified. “Hot” or stolen cars should be used to commit the actual crimes, the manual said, according to Jackson.
The entries also contained lists of fixed license plate readers around the city of Antioch, the detective testified.
In a parked Honda outside the home where the manual was discovered, police reportedly found such a robbery kit, complete with latex gloves, a loaded Glock pistol, a screwdriver, cleaning wipes and extra clothes. But the car also contained a medical bracelet with the name, “Jalin,” perhaps betraying one of the manual’s instructions to not leave behind evidence in vehicles that police can use to identify a suspect.
Police raided the home that backs up to Hillcrest Avenue during the investigation into the killing of 20-year-old Basel Jilani, a Lafeyette resident who Watson and Washington allegedly trailed from East Contra Costa to Lamorinda.
The two allegedly pulled over and Washington wrestled a Rolex away from Jilani, fatally shooting him in the process. Police later used ballistics evidence from another shooting — and license plate readers — to trace the car and the homicide to both suspects.
Washington ended up pleading no contest to manslaughter and other charges for a 32-year prison term, while Watson received 15 years for pleading no contest to robbery.