Suspect in ATM bombing at San Ramon Target store arrested

(KRON) — A man allegedly connected to the bombing and burglary of an ATM in a San Ramon Target store on July 20 was arrested Tuesday in Newport Beach, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The suspect, identified as Diego Ananias Arellano Diaz, is accused of being part of a Chilean ATM robbery crew that targeted dozens of financial institutions on the West Coast and made off with millions of dollars in cash.

The “improvised” explosive device inside the Target store was detonated at around 2:19 a.m. on July 20, according to the San Ramon Police Department. The store’s interior near a public entrance was damaged, but no injuries were reported. The ATM was burglarized during the incident.

Arellano, who also goes by the alias Fabio Cristian Hernandez, was identified by San Ramon PD as one of the suspects responsible for the bombing and burglary.

Arellano has been charged with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery in connection with more than 29 banks and credit unions that were targeted in California, Oregon and Washington between May and October 2024. Prosecutors alleged that Arellano is part of a crew that identified ATMs in vulnerable locations and then used “construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, cellphone jammers, and other sophisticated tactics” to break into the machines and steal cash.

The crew, according to prosecutors, rented short-term vacation properties near their targets and rented vehicles from the black market in order to avoid detection.

More than $4 million in cash was taken in the burglaries, the DOJ said.

If convicted, Arellano faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery. He remains in custody as of Thursday, the DOJ said.