Monday, Aug. 30, 2010

Robbery suspect taken into custody

Gilroy man accused of using gun in crime

A man who allegedly committed two armed robberies in the past week has been taken into custody.

Anthony Torres, 27, of Gilroy is in custody at the Merced County Jail in lieu of $352,000 bail. Torres was arrested on suspicion of two counts of robbery, two counts of possession of a concealed weapon with prior weapons charges, commercial burglary, criminal threats, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

According to police, Torres robbed a convenience store at gunpoint on the 1000 block of Pacheco Boulevard at 7:19 Sunday evening. Authorities were alerted to the crime by a silent alarm, but when they arrived the suspect was gone.

On Monday at 7:50 p.m. officer Marcelino Cortez received a report from a local mobile street vendor reporting being robbed at gunpoint while he was in the 200 Block of Sunburst Street.

The man told police the suspect pointed a firearm at him and robbed him before fleeing in a green vehicle. Officer Sean Bayard located a vehicle matching the description. Torres was inside.

The victim in that case was brought to the scene and positively identified Torres as the person who robbed him at gunpoint earlier in the day, police said.

While impounding the car, police discovered two loaded firearms were inside Torres' vehicle, police said. Detective Sgt. Zina Holden contacted the victim of the convenience store robbery, who identified Torres as the suspect who robbed the business at gunpoint.

Stabbing

Sunday at approximately 1:50 a.m., the Los Banos Police Department responded to a fight in the 500 block of I Street.

When officers arrived they located a 23-year-old male who had been stabbed multiple times in the upper torso. The victim was taken to Memorial Hospital Los Banos and subsequently airlifted to Doctors Hospital in Modesto.

Witnesses to the incident reportedly told police that the victim was trying to separate two men from fighting when one of them attacked him and eventually stabbed him. Los Banos Police detectives responded to the scene and are currently investigating the incident. The victim is currently in stable condition and is expected to recover.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Det. Sgt. Zina Holden at (209) 827-7070 ext. 147.