Crime & Safety
Gang Member Arrested With Loaded Revolver
The new Robbery Apprehension Team made the arrest Wednesday evening.
A team of investigators targeting armed robbers in Watsonville spotted a wanted Norteño gang member walking down the street Wednesday evening and arrested him with a loaded .38-caliber revolver, Watsonville police reported.
Alvaro Melendrez, 26, was seen near Ross Avenue and Gino Court around 5 p.m., as the police department's new Robbery Apprehension Team, a collaborative effort between the police department's robbery detective, the gang unit and the Santa Cruz County's Anti-Crime Team.
Melendrez, who lives on Peace Drive, was walking toward the 7-Eleven—two blocks away on Airport Boulevard—when officers reportedly saw him pull his hooded sweatshirt over his head. Uniformed cops tried to contact him, but he ran away, police said.
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Police chased Melendrez, caught up to him and shocked him with a Tazer. He tossed a gun during the chase, and officers found it on the ground.
Melendrez was arrested on suspicion of several gun charges, gang participation resisting arrest and a parole hold. Police said they can't link him to any of the unsolved armed robberies but will continue to investigate.
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The police department formed the Robbery Apprehension Team in response to the recent in the city. Lt. David McCartney said the team works at-will, when they need extra manpower on an investigation, and some officer overtime is covered by grant funding.
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