Crime & Safety
Gang Member, 17, Suspected of Two Armed Robberies
The heists happened Thursday afternoon in Watsonville and on Amesti Road.
A 17-year-old Watsonville boy was arrested Thursday following back-to-back armed heists in the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville police reported.
Real Colima Restaurant, at 1101 E. Lake Ave., and Four Corners Market on Amesti Rd both were held up at gunpoint, police said.
The crime spree started at the restaurant around 2:10 p.m. when two robbers came into Real Colima and demanded the money from the cash register from an employee. One robber brandished a handgun at the employee, while the other jumped over the counter and stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the cash register, police said.
After the robbery on Amesti, police linked the two heists because the suspect descriptions sounded similar. About 30 minutes following the second heist, the California Highway Patrol pursued and eventually stopped a white Jaguar in Aptos.
The teenager arrested Thursday was riding with two others in the Jaguar. He and the other occupants were but neither of the other men were identified as the second robbery suspect. Police said the teenager is a gang member. His name was not released because of his age.
Also, the driver of the car was arrested by the CHP for felony evading, authorities said.
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