Robbery Suspect Accidentally Shoots Own Accomplice

SALINAS — The Salinas Police have arrested two of the three suspects in a Saturday night robbery — a 17-year-old juvenile and 18-year-old Juan Boyzo both from Salinas. The third suspect remains at large.

Natividad Creek Park, Nogal Drive

On Saturday at 9:15 p.m., a couple sitting in their car at Natividad Creek Park in East Salinas was robbed by gunpoint by three males. The female victim had her car stolen and the male victim had cash and some personal property taken.

Responding officers located the vehicle about one mile west as it turned onto Kimmel Street from North Sanborn Road. A Salinas Police Officer positioned his cruiser behind the vehicle and followed it until it stopped at the corner of Kimmel and Beech Streets.

Once the vehicle came to a stop, two suspects jumped out of the car and tried to make a run for it.  As they fled, one of the suspects turned and fired a single shot from a semi-auto handgun.  The bullet did not strike any of the officers, but did strike his accomplice who’d ran directly into the line of fire. He was struck in the upper torso.

“Our officers did not fire at the suspect,” Salinas Police Commander David Crabill said, “It was a judgment call, based on condition at the scene, [that] officers elected not to return fire.”

The third suspect, who was unable to escape the vehicle thanks to the child-locks, was arrested without incident. Boyzo, the one who’d been shot by his own partner, later returned to the scene and refused to go peacefully.

Fearing that he was armed, the Salinas Police deployed their K-9, Kabir, and Boyzo was taken into custody. He was eventually airlifted to a bay area trauma center as a result of his gunshot wound and listed in critical condition.

An exhaustive search for the third suspect yielded no results.  He is considered to be armed and dangerous. The other two suspects were booked on numerous felony charges ranging from robbery to car jacking, all with gang enhancements.  Boyzo is on police hold and will be transported to the Monterey County Jail when he is released from the hospital.

The 17-year-old suspect was booked into Monterey County juvenile hall.

Read more:

The Californian: Robbery suspect fires on cops, wounds accomplice