Ventura County – The night of January 18th was a violent one in the City of Camarillo.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Pete O’Sullivan, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the first of two armed robberies took place when a male victim heard “someone approach him from behind” while on foot at a neighborhood Mobil station. When he turned to see the source of the noise, he observed two males rushing toward him with guns pointed at him. At that point, one of the males ordered him to the ground. After promptly complying, one of the suspects removed personal items from the victim’s pockets as the other began punching the compliant victim in the head. Moments later, the suspects fled the area on foot.
Jose Martin Estrada
Just a half hour later, on the mall at Camarillo’s Factory Outlets, an area store employee was riding his bike on the sidewalk when he came upon the same two violent young men. Parting as though to allow him to pass, one of the suspects suddenly “cold cocked” the bike rider in the side of the head, sending him sprawling on the ground. As reported by O’Sullivan, “the suspects then ordered the victim to give them his wallet and backpack”, threatening him with a gun. Again, one of the suspects began punching the victim in the head while the other relieved him of his personal property.
The suspects then fled the scene on foot, and the bike rider continued on his way home…only to see his assailants driving past him in a car, from which they “taunted him by calling him names and issuing further verbal threats. The bike rider observed the suspects pull into a nearby parking lot, at which time he called 911 Emergency to report the assault.
Camarillo Police Department Patrol Officers arrived shortly thereafter and detained Dionicio Salinas, a 23-year old Camarillo resident, who had apparently been dropped off by his accomplice, who was no longer at the scene. Pursuant to investigation and field interviews of witnesses, Salinas was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail on charges of armed robbery and assault, with his bail set at $65,000.
Two days later, after ongoing investigation, detectives determined that Jose Martin Estrada, a 20-year old Camarillo resident was the second suspect, and served a warrant at his home where he was summarily taken into custody and booked on armed robbery, assault, and conspiracy, with his bail currently undetermined.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
Read more:
VCSTAR: 2 men arrested in Camarillo robberies
EdHat: Camarillo police arrest robbery suspects
