UPDATE: AGGRAVATED ROBBERY AT PETRO 2/ SUSPECTS CAUGHT DURING TRAFFIC STOP

            3850 Justice Dr. El Paso, Texas 79938                   

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Deputy Jesse Tovar / PUBLIC AFFAIRS     

Direct: (915) 538-2119

Pager: (915) 533-0733 (#5370)

EMAIL: jtovar@epcounty.com

Release Date & Time: Saturday, January 31, 2009 2:45 PM  

WHO: EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (UPPER VALLEY PATROL / CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION) 

WHAT: UPDATE- AGGRAVATED ROBBERY AT PETRO 2 / SUSPECTS CAUGHT DURING TRAFFIC STOP

WHEN: Friday, January 30, 2009 5:20 AM

WHERE: 601 Westway - Westway, TX (Petro 2 Truck Stop)

WHY: ROBBERY SUSPECTS CAUGHT

BACKGROUND:

WESTWAY, TX- Early Friday morning at about 5:20 AM, Sheriff's Deputies were called to the  Petro 2 Truck Stop located at 601 Westway- Westway, TX in reference to a robbery that had just occurred. Deputies arrived and met with store employees who told authorities 2 Hispanic Males entered the store where one of them displayed an unknown caliber handgun and demanded money from the clerk on duty. The suspects left the store with an undisclosed amount of money. Both suspects were described to be approximately 19-21 years of age & were both wearing dark colored hoodies. No employees were injured in the robbery. Sheriff's CID Detectives were summoned to the scene.

UPDATE: Late Friday night at about 11:00 PM, a Sheriff's Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 1100 block of Westway Blvd. Two Hispanic males occupants were in the vehicle. During the stop it was discovered one of them had 8 outstanding traffic warrants. A second Sheriff's Deputy rolled by to assist his partner. The Deputy who had also responded to the Robbery at the Petro 2 early Friday morning recognized the two suspects from the Petro II surveillance video. Marijuana was also found in the vehicle. Deputies placed both subjects under arrest and CID Detectives responded to the scene.

After interviewing both subjects, it was determined that both subjects were in fact the same ones involved in the Robbery. Both subjects were identified as ISIDRO MELENDEZ (20) of the 1300 block of CAMELIA CANUTILLO, TX &  CHRISTOPHER BARRON (17) of the 8600 block of REMINGTON WESTWAY, TEXAS. Both were booked & remain at the El Paso County Detention Facility on multiple charges.

SUSPECTS CAPTURED:

END OF NEWS RELEASE

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2001 was the first Sheriff’s Office in the State of Texas to be Internationally Accredited from CALEA and is now the recipient of the First CALEA Tri-Arc award in Texas (4^th in the Nation) to have accreditations in: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy.