Merced Man Arrested for Recent Robbery

A man was arrested on June 21st for a robbery he committed earlier this month.  On June 7th, Adrian Hicks used a female acquaintance of victim Joanne Chavarria to lure her into a Gateway Motel room under the premise that Chavarria would loan the woman more money.  Once inside, Hicks and a male accomplice beat Chavarria and stole all of her money.

Robbery suspect Adrian Hicks

Two weeks later authorities were searching for Hicks in the 1400 block of West 16th Street when they spotted him in a white Lexus and began pursuit.  He led them on a chase down Highway 99 and surface streets until he was cornered at the dead end of Franklin Court after flattening two of his tires on spike strips deployed by officers on R Street.

Hicks subsequently abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.  He was found hiding in an apartment unit in the 3100 block of Meadows Avenue and was arrested for robbery and evading the police in a vehicle.

According to Merced PD Lt. Tom Trindad, citizens should use their “inner voice” to avoid being victimized like Chavarria, adding,  “Criminals tend to (rely) on tactics that work best for them.  Several different ploys are used by robbery suspects to get victims at a disadvantage.”  Trindad concluded, “The general public should always be aware of their surroundings and listen to the inner voice that tells them about potential danger.”

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