Charges pending against Salinas man arrested after Friday crime spree

Charges are pending against a 19-year-old Salinas man believed to have committed a string of robberies and killing a local business owner Friday.

Anthony Romero was arrested Friday by Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies after they say he went on a crime spree on Halloween morning.

Deputies say Romero stole a black Honda in Salinas, then robbed and killed a man off Reservation and Portola in Salinas, shot and robbed a man off Del Monte Ave in Castroville, and then robbed a teenager waiting at a bus stop.

The body of 59-year-old Paul Chung was discovered by his wife just after 7 a.m., deputies said.

Chung was an active member of the local Korean community and was the owner a 99 cent store in Salinas. His services are scheduled for Tuesday at the Salinas Glory Presbyterian Church.

The man robbed on Del Monte was shot in the stomach but will recover from his injuries, deputies said last week. The teenager robbed in Castroville was uninjured.

Romero faces charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery. He was on probation for vandalism at the time of his arrest Friday.