Suspect apprehended during a public disturbance call was suspect in string of armed robberies

25 – year – old Steven Garcia Moran was arrested for Second Degree Robbery under PC 211 – 212.5 (c) on November 7, 2012.  It was determined prior to the robbery spree Moran had been convicted of a strike offense in which he had also committed armed robbery.

The first in Moran's latest string of armed robberies was at the AM/PM on Senter

Moran on October 19, 2012 entered the AM/PM Market located at 3147 Senter Road in San Jose. He told the attendant “put the money in a black sweater”.  During the robbery he had continually stuck a knife to the side of the gas station attendant while forcing him to give him money.  Moran had taken approximately $200.

Then on October 23, 2012, Moran struck the Arco-gas station located at 1405 Branham Lane.  He told the clerk he had a gun and demanded money.  Moran took $50 from the cash register along with $600 that was left on the counter before the attendant had had a chance to place it into the safe.

However, this was not the end of his crime spree.  Moran once again struck a Shell gas station on October 25 at 5599 Snell Ave.  Moran walked in with a pistol grip sawed off shotgun and demanded money after placing a blue shirt on the counter.

A video at the scene revealed that Moran had purposely dropped a red handkerchief once he had reached the getaway vehicle, apparently as a marker for what he had done.

Alex Truong, who works just one day a week at the Shell station on Snell said “We are locking the doors a little earlier to be more cautious. We used to close at 11:00 pm. Now we have changed it to ten.”

Chester Tran, the owner of the Shell gas station, said “I did not see what had happened, I had only watched the video a few days later. I saw that he wore dark sunglasses with a hat.  I did not see his face very clear.”  Tran said “They just drove up and jumped the curb right in front and took a bag out and put the whole cash drawer in the bag and left.”

Now equipped with a shotgun and a getaway driver at the wheel, Moran continued by robbing a gas station on October 26 at 2510 Alum Rock Avenue in a stolen vehicle he had taken earlier that day. Apparently becoming more impatient with each robbery while waiting for the attendant to do as he asked, he began to reach over and take the money himself from the cash drawer, as if he knew how much he expected to be there.  He then struck a second time that day just a few hours after the first robbery when he entered the Valero gas station on 1111 N. Capital Ave. He asked the attendant for gas, but once the cash drawer was open, he pulled out the shotgun, pointed at the drawer and reached over and took close to $1000. After exiting the store he took out a blue piece of paper from a plastic bag and threw it on the ground.

Once again, on October 29, an armed robbery was reported at Quick Stop located at 3695 Pearl Ave.  This time, however, a semi automatic hand gun was used in the course of the robbery in which an estimated $300 was taken. Moran once again got into the passenger seat and fled the scene.

Each time officers had arrived after the robberies they were unable to locate the persons responsible. However, finger prints, surveillance video and other evidence was used to identify Moran and his accomplice.

The last reported robbery was at the New Sunrise Auto Repair station, before Moran was arrested in the disturbance.

Several days later, on October 31 at 1100 S. White Road, Moran wore a purple hoodie and entered the Union 76 gas station with a black pump shotgun and demanded the clerk give him money from the cash drawer. Within a few hours Moran entered the New Sunrise Auto Repair and Gas Station at 4298 Senter Road and demanded the clerk give him money while showing him a pistol grip shot gun.   Moran once again fled the scene by getting into the passenger side of the getaway vehicle.

But then there was a break in the case when a public disturbance call was made to the San Jose Police Department’s 911 call center.  People had called in complaining of a fight outside a San Jose residence.  Upon arrival officers were told unknown persons were fighting with a bat and metal pipes.

Officers entered a residence in search of possible attackers. Moran was located in a back bedroom.  Moran at that time admitted to being on parole but tried to give a false name.  When officers checked his information, they determined Moran was wanted on a No Bail warrant in the amount of one million dollars.

Moran was taken into custody and brought downtown, where robbery detectives read Moran his rights and booked him into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.