Businesses in Salinas on edge after a series of armed robberies in the last week
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Salinas Police are searching for a suspect after various armed robbery incidents took place over the last couple of weeks. Business owners in East Salinas are still in shock after having been robbed in plain daylight.
“Es algo que no nos esperamos, pero pues siempre pasa,” Mary Martinez, manager of La Plaza Bakery, says it was unexpected, and could not believe it when her coworker mentioned they were being robbed.
“What ended up taking place was a suspect walked into the store, robbed it at gunpoint and made off with cash,” says Sergeant Zach Dunagan with the Salinas Police Department.
The incident took place on September 6th, around 1 pm. Sergeant Dunagan with the Salinas police says another two incidents took place this past weekend. After the investigation, the authorities executed a search warrant at the home of the suspect, identified as Mario Álvarez, 44, and he was taken into custody.
But that wasn't the only incident. Over the weekend, Salinas police reported three incidents of armed robbery in the city. On the 13th, a suspect attempted to rob a Dollar General store on Main Street, while on Sunday night, an attempted carjacking resulted in a shooting on Alisal Street. At least three people were arrested.
They were identified as: Priceseliano Hernández, Joseph Bravo-Garibay, and Ricardo Hernández.
“None of these three incidents was related to the other. However, it's always our concern when robberies take place,” he adds.
“De hecho yo estaba, pero estaba en la parte de atrás,” Martinez recalls how she was in the back kitchen when the robbery took place. She says, although the amount lost was small, her staff remains with fear and uncertainty after the experience they had to go through.
Data from the Salinas Police says that in 2024, there were 95 robberies; this number was 101 for 2023. Business owners around the area say they have also been victims of robberies in the last few years.
“Ya nos ha pasado, se han metido por la noche como unas siete veces,” Maria Navarrete, owner of neighboring business, says they have a food truck parked behind their restaurant that has been robbed seven times in the time at that location. Zach Dunagan says people should remain alert.
“It's always hard to correlate it to seasons, hours, because most of the time these crimes are crimes of opportunity. Very rarely are they planned out and meticulously thought about.”
Salinas police say they have made arrests in the majority of these incidents. They are still in search of information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect responsible for the robbery at the Dollar General location.
