COACHELLA – Following an investigation, deputies from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department were able to identify, locate and arrest a suspect believed to have committed armed robbery on Saturday.
At close to midnight on Saturday, April 18, police dispatch received a call regarding an armed robbery. The Coachella Police responded to the scene in the 49000 block of Grapefruit Boulevard, Coachella. After locating the victim, officers ascertained that a 44-year-old female from Thermal was approached by the suspect when exiting her vehicle. The man pointed a handgun at the victim, demanding cash. When the victim refused to comply with the demands, the suspect grabbed her cell phone and fled the scene. According to a press release from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, the victim was not injured during the altercation.
Thermal Station Investigations Bureau responded and assumed the investigation at that time. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult, 25 to 30 years, with a medium build wearing black baseball cap, dark sweatshirt with a black bandana covering his face. He was reportedly driving a silver mid-sized vehicle with paper license plates.
The next day, Thermal Station investigators were able to identify a suspect in the case. Investigators pinpointed the location of Hector Pimentel Monroy, 32 of Coachella, who was suspected of committing the armed robbery the previous day. A search warrant was served in the 52000 block of Calle Camacho, in Coachella. The investigators searched the home and found the phone that had been reported stolen during the crime. At that time Monroy was arrested and later booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio for armed robbery.
