Fake cop arrested after Bay Area spa robbery

Santa Clara County deputies arrested a 32-year-old man they say posed as a police officer to rob a Cupertino spa. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Brendan Kroning of San Andreas and said detectives arrested him on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in a San Jose parking garage. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (cbsnews.com) Investigators said the robbery happened just before 5:30 p.m. on April 15 at Sunny Spa on South De Anza Boulevard in Cupertino. Employees told detectives a masked man walked in wearing a tactical vest, a duty belt and what appeared to be a handgun. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (nbcbayarea.com) The sheriff’s office said the man told workers he was conducting an official inspection, then unplugged the business’s security cameras and ordered employees to open the cash register. He took a large amount of cash and left, according to investigators. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) (kmph.com) Prosecutors charged Kroning with three counts of robbery, three counts of false imprisonment and one count of impersonating a police officer. CBS News reported those charges after the arrest was announced on April 23. (cbsnews.com) (kron4.com) The case turned on a weeklong investigation by the sheriff’s office after workers reported the man’s gear made him look like law enforcement. NBC Bay Area said the vest had “police” on the back. (nbcbayarea.com) (kron4.com) Deputies said they are still trying to determine whether Kroning targeted anyone else using the same fake-authority approach. The sheriff’s office asked anyone who saw something, has surveillance video, or believes they may be a victim to contact investigators. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov) For now, the case rests on a simple allegation: investigators say a man used a police costume, a fake inspection, and a visible weapon to take cash from a Cupertino business. (sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov)