Witness Follows 3 Suspects Arrested for Armed Robbery of a Gas Station
Photo: Lopes, Solis and Benitozavala
PALO ALTO — A trio of armed-robbery suspects arrested last weekend are being held in custody without bail. A witness followed the three suspects who were arrested shortly after an Arco gas station was robbed on March 29.
An armed man entered the Arco gas station located at 699 San Antonio Road at approximately 8:40 p.m. He pointed a handgun at the cashier and demanded that he open the cash register pronto. The victim complied and he was not injured.
The gunman fled to a waiting car with an undisclosed amount of cash. A witness saw the getaway car leaving the gas station and followed it—giving location updates to the police.
Responding officers stopped the vehicle on Alma Street near Palo Alto Avenue, and they arrested three suspects. The stolen cash, illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia, were located inside one of the suspect’s bags.
The alleged gunman is 19-year-old Jose Solis of Los Banos. The other two suspects are Jesus Benitozavala, 28, and Yesenia F. Lopez, 26, both of Salinas.
Officers also recovered a handgun reported stolen in Salinas. It was loaded and unsecured within reach of a young child and a teenager sitting in the backseat.
Solis, Benitozavala and Lopez each face charges for robbery, conspiracy to commit a crime and child endangerment. In addition, Lopez also faces charges for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All three suspects are scheduled to appear in court on April 2. The youngest child was released to relatives and the teenager was transported to a county youth shelter.
