Armed Suspect Slipped Through Police Perimeter
SALINAS—a 31-year-old man is just thankful for being alive today after he made a bad decision to meet two women that he befriended on an on-line sex site. The victim went to a hotel room thinking he was going to have fun with the two women, but instead was robbed at gunpoint by a male suspect who had been hiding.
At about 9:23 in the morning on Tuesday, the victim was cruising the internet looking for sex when he came across an online prostitution site. He eventually arranged to meet two women at the Travel Inn Hotel on John Street in Salinas. When he entered the room he was met by the two females, and everything was looking good for a fun time. Then, to his astonishment, a man entered the room carrying a shotgun.
The man pointed the shotgun at the victim, and with the help of the two females, proceeded to rob him of his car keys, phone and wallet. The victim was able to escape with his life, but watched the male suspect drive off in his car.
The victim was lucky that he was able to flag down a passing motorist, who helped him by following the suspect to Chestnut Street. They witnessed the suspect unload some of the victim’s property and walk toward a house on Chestnut.
A suspect was followed to these houses, but slipped away before he was caught.
They called police, and when they arrived they quickly set up perimeter around the property. The property contained four residences, a large main house and three smaller dwellings. Not sure which building the suspect entered, police ordered everyone out of their residences.
Some residents exited their homes, while others delayed or refused to comply with the order. But eventually officers were able to get everyone out of their homes. Once they did, officers checked all four houses for the suspect.
The suspect was not found in any of the residences and it appears that he had jumped a rear fence onto Maple Street before the perimeter was set up. One witness stated that the suspect had discarded a sweatshirt on the property, which was recovered by police.
The perimeter search was fruitful – while they did not catch the suspect they were looking for, they did arrest a 44-year-old man on an unrelated felony charge.
The original suspect in this incident his described as an Hispanic male in his late 20’s-30’s, over six-feet-tall with a bald head. The two women who had lured the man there were not found either, and remain wanted as well.
