San Diego police announced on Sunday that the department had arrested three teenagers in connection with the series of armed robberies that plagued at least 17 convenience stores spanning across San Diego County during the course of one week.
Police officers made a traffic stop on Dec. 15, leading to the arrest of two 16-year-old boys and one 14-year-old boy, all three of whom were connected to at least six robbery cases in the City of San Diego, according to SDPD Lt. Adam Sharki.
One of the suspects was also arrested in connection to another recent robbery series involving a delivery driver, police said.
During the traffic stop, police apprehended three firearms, including an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. At least one of those is an unserialized ghost gun, police said.
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Due to their age, all three suspects were booked into Juvenile Hall and their identities are being withheld.
Detectives are continuing to work with law enforcement agencies to investigate the series of robberies. Police have not said if they are looking for more suspects, but they are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
Valeria Ontiveros works at the Shell gas station on 1145 S. 28th St. in Barrio Logan. Her store was targeted Tuesday night by three suspects, who she says grabbed the cash registers and took off.
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"I was a little bit shocked, but then I was like, 'Thank God nothing happened to my co-worker,'" Ontiveros told NBC 7.
Original reporting on the robberies
Two armed robberies took place in San Diego Wednesday night, the latest in a string of similar crimes -- 17 of which occurred just this week -- that have police on alert for at least one group of suspects.
The latest robberies occurred on Wednesday night. La Mesa Police Department officers first received reports of an armed robbery in La Mesa at Excalibur Liquor, located at 5575 Baltimore Dr. around 9:15 p.m.
Five suspects — one with a firearm and one with a red jacket — were all wearing ski masks when they took money from the register, said San Diego PD Officer John Buttle. The robbers were seen traveling southbound on Baltimore Drive.
Ron Hawkins visits the store about four times a week and knows the owners well.
"Too bad it happened to a nice family that owns this," Hawkins said. "It's terrible. I'm glad nobody was hurt. Everybody was safe."
Next, five people, two with firearms, robbed the Tradewinds Liquor store in Oak Park in the 3100 block of 54th Street by breaking the register, taking cash and one bottle of liquor around 9:28 p.m., Officer Buttle said.
Spree of armed robberies in San Diego County
The robberies were the latest in more than a dozen similar crimes this week, from Bonsall in the North County to San Diego's Barrio Logan. Local law enforcement, including San Diego police and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, are investigating the cases to determine any connection.
San Diego Police said that over the past six weeks, several armed "take-over style" robberies have occurred around the county. Police believe that at least 10 of those robberies are committed by the same group and say the same group may be responsible for other robberies.
No shots were fired in any of the robberies, and authorities tell NBC 7 that no arrests have been made.
Investigators told NBC 7 that all of them have very similar stories. Two to three men enter the store, in some cases at gunpoint, and take at least one cash register and take off.
Police describe the suspects as young men, possibly between 19-25 years old, wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks and are said to enter the stores in groups brandishing guns at store clerks while demanding money and products.
The robberies occurred:
Saturday, Dec. 9
- Golden Hill: 2700 block of B Street around 10:53 p.m.
- Serra Mesa: 2600 block of Mission Village Drive around 11:37 p.m.
- Kearny Mesa: 8600 block of Aero Drive around 11:55 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 10
- Kearny Mesa: 8800 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. around 12:02 a.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 12
- Bonsall: 5555 Mission Rd around 9:44 p.m.
- Deer Springs: 26915 Mesa Rock Rd. around 10:18 p.m.
- Grant Hill: 30th & Market around 11:28 p.m.
- Mira Mesa: 11205 Camino Ruiz around 11:39 p.m.
- Barrio Logan: 1145 S. 28th St. around 11:54 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 13
- Lake Murray: 8780 Lake Murray Blvd. around 12:08 a.m.
- Santee: 9600 Carlton Hills Blvd. around 12:17 a.m.
- La Mesa: 4200 Spring St. around 12:22 a.m.
- Spring Valley: 9700 Campo Rd. around 12:27 a.m.
- Spring Valley: 481 Sweetwater Rd. around 12:34 a.m.
- Lakeside: 10100 Maine Ave. around 12:47 a.m.
- La Mesa: 5575 Baltimore Dr. around 9:15 p.m.
- Oak Park: 3111 54th St. around 9:28 p.m.
There have also been a plethora of home burglaries over the last few months. San Diego police have been investigating those as well. It is not clear if they are believed to be connected to the same group.
Police are asking for the public's help in identifying any suspects involved.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Robbery Unit at (619) 531-2299 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
