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SAN RAFAEL — A man who allegedly robbed day laborers at gunpoint is in custody. Multiple agencies cooperated to identify and apprehend the suspected perpetrator Edward J. Martinez, a 37-year-old resident of Novato.
Martinez is suspected of committing at least five armed robberies of laborers. San Rafael detectives and Richmond police obtained evidence implicating him. He was arrested in Orinda on March 7 for an unrelated traffic warrant.
Video surveillance evidence links Martinez to a February 22 armed robbery in San Rafael. His license plate number was recorded as Martinez drove two victims to a remote location in San Rafael.
After identifying Martinez as the suspect, SRPD detectives notified Lafayette Police, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, and Richmond police. “These agencies provided valuable information regarding Martinez and associated addresses,” SRPD said in a prepared statement.
Martinez was taken into custody by Orinda police, who detained him for a traffic violation. His vehicle was impounded as evidence, because it evidently was used to commit robberies in San Rafael and Richmond. The vehicle was searched, and a loaded handgun was recovered.
In the San Rafael robbery, Martinez allegedly picked up two laborers, near Bellam Boulevard and Andersen Drive. The victims believed they were being hired for work. Shortly afterward, they were ordered out of the suspect’s car, and robbed at gunpoint.
Martinez faces charges for two counts of armed robbery in San Rafael, upon his pending transfer to custody to Marin County Jail.
