Fifth suspect arrested in connection with violent San Jose home invasion robberies
SAN JOSE -- Police in San Jose on Wednesday confirmed the recent arrest of a fifth suspect in connection with a series of violent home invasion robberies committed in late May and early June.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old San Jose resident Israel Mejia, was taken into custody on Tuesday in San Jose without incident.
The robberies included one incident where a 15-month-old baby was held at gunpoint. The first robbery happened on May 31, where an elderly couple was tied up and beaten before being robbed.
At 3:50 p.m. that, officers responded to a home invasion call at a residence on the 600 block of North Capitol Avenue. The victims, an elderly couple, said five to six suspects bound them with belts and assaulted them while holding them at gunpoint. The suspects fled in the couple's vehicle before police arrived, taking with them various items such as bank cards and jewelry.
A short while later, the stolen vehicle was used in a second home invasion on the 1000 block of Summerdale Drive. The victim reported that five suspects held him and his 15-month-old child at gunpoint, and made him go to a bank to withdraw money from his account. They returned to the victim's home afterwards and stole items such as bank cards and jewelry. The victim's wife witnessed the suspects leaving the house when she arrived and their escape was captured on her dashcam.
A little more than a week later police responded to reports of an armed robbery on the 4000 block of Bolero Drive. Two suspects held the victims, another elderly couple, at gunpoint while violently assaulting them. After tying up the victims in order to rob them, one of the victims escaped and managed to call police.
In late June, San Jose Police announced the arrest of four suspects in the violent armed robberies. Police identified three of the suspects as 19-year-old Armando Manzano, 19-year-old Daniel Mendez, and 23-year-old Eduardo Santiago. A fourth suspect taken into custody, a juvenile, was not identified.
During the investigation, police detectives identified Mejia as a fifth suspect in the robberies and obtained a warrant for his arrest. Following his arrest on Tuesday, Mejia faces charges of home invasion robbery, burglary, and false imprisonment. According to some reports, Mejia is no longer in custody, having been released after his $250,000 bail was paid.
Police believe the suspects may have been involved in additional robberies.
Anyone with information regarding the robberies or the suspects is asked to contact Detective Mendoza #4395 of the San José Police Robbery Unit via email: 4395@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4166. Individuals may submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, tipsters are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.
