6 arrested in series of San Jose armed robberies, including 4 teens, police say
By Tim Fang
Six people, including four juveniles as young as 15-years-old, have been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies in the city of San Jose in May, police said.
According to officers, the investigation began following a May 23 armed robbery involving five suspects on the 2500 block of South King Road in East San Jose. Around 3:35 a.m., the suspects entered the building, with one of the suspects brandishing a firearm at a victim, while the other four suspects took boxes from behind the counter.
The suspects left the scene in two vehicles before police arrived.
On May 26, around 12:35 a.m., officers responded to an armed robbery on the 700 block of South Winchester Boulevard in West San Jose. Police said six suspects, one of whom had a firearm, took items from the business.
“The victims feared for their lives,” the department said in a statement.
During the investigation, detectives with the Robbery Unit used license plate readers to identify one of the suspect vehicles and were able to identify a 15-year-old as a primary suspect.
On the same day of the second robbery, officers found the vehicle with the 15-year-old. A search warrant of the teen’s home was obtained and police said the firearm used in the robberies was found.
The teen was booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of robbery.
Investigators were also able to identify 19-year-old Moses Martinez, 20-year-old Frank Maldonado and three juvenile males, ages 15, 16 and 17, as suspects. Arrest and search warrants were also obtained.
On June 24, officers found Martinez and two of the teen suspects in San Jose. The teens were taken to Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall, while Martinez was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of robbery.
According to a San Jose police statement on July 9, Martinez was also arrested in connection with a series of gang-related crimes, including an attempted murder.
Two additional arrests took place the following week. On July 1, a 17-year-old suspect was arrested in Modoc County in the far northeastern corner of the state. The teen was later transported to San Jose and was booked into Juvenile Hall.
The following day, Maldonado was arrested in Milpitas and was later booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of robbery.
During a search of the suspects’ homes, police said they located items taken from the businesses. Police said they also recovered a firearm from Maldonado’s home.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ledesma of the department’s Robbery Unit by emailing 4842@sanjoseca.gov or by calling 408-277-4166.
