Suspect Went into Rooms, Robbed Night Clerk
WATSONVILLE—Officers with the Watsonville Police Department arrested 37-year-old Armando Villalobos Farfan after surveillance footage from the Day’s Inn on Beach Street in Watsonville shows him breaking into a room at the hotel and robbing the Hotel’s night manager.
In the Early morning hours of Monday, January 22, a guest at the hotel woke up to a man attempting to steal her laptop and her purse. She was able to thwart the robber despite being groggy from sleep.
She had called the police but the robber had fled prior to their arrival at the scene. A few hours later, Watsonville Police received another call from the Day’s Inn regarding a past robbery.
The Days Inn in Watsonville, where Farfan sought his victims
Upon their arrival, Officers learned from the night manager that the male suspect, who had initially went to the hotel looking for a guest, had demanded that he hand over his laptop and his wallet. At some point, the suspect even demanded that the manager hand over his PIN number. When he refused, the suspect then demanded the cash from the register. The manager complied with his request. Before the suspect left the scene, he told the manager that he had a gun and he knew where he lived, and would harm him if he called the police.
During the investigation of this incident, Police reviewed the surveillance footage from the hotel and immediately identified the suspect as Armando Farfan of Watsonville. Watsonville police were able to identify him as the suspect in both incidents.
Based upon that information the Watsonville Police obtained an arrest warrant for Farfan. Two days later, investigators learned that Farfan was staying at a Watsonville Hotel. Officers responded to the hotel and after a brief standoff, arrested Farfan without further incident.
Armando Farfan, Steelers fan (Facebook)
“We learned that he was in a hotel, and we surround it and called him to come outside, it took him a few minutes to do so” Watsonville Police Detective Charles Bailey said, “He may have been trying to hide something or simply assessing the situation.”
A search of the hotel room after his arrest revealed the property that was taken during the robberies at the Day’s Inn. Farfan was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail and charged with robbery, to prevent and dissuade a victim or witness and preventing a victim or witness to report a crime. His bail stands at a half of a million dollars.
Read More:
Watsonville Patch: Police Arrest Suspect in 3 Watsonville Robberies
