4 arrested in San Jose convenience store robbery, may be linked to 2 others
Four people, including a juvenile, were arrested in connection with an armed robbery of a San Jose convenience store last week, and police said they may be linked to at least two other armed robberies.
Shortly after 5 a.m. on Friday, officers were called to a store on the 400 block of South Kiely Boulevard on reports of a robbery. According to officers, three suspects entered the store, one brandishing a handgun while a second suspect brandished a rifle at an employee.
Police said the employee was struck in the head with a handgun, before the two armed suspects grabbed the victim and pushed him towards the cash register. The suspects then forced the victim to open the cash register and stole several hundred dollars before leaving.
According to a preliminary investigation by the department's robbery unit, the suspects were likely related to a similar armed robbery of a Santa Clara convenience store two days earlier, and an armed robbery in Union City also on Friday.
With the help of police in Santa Clara and Union City, officers were able to identify the suspect vehicle. Around 2 p.m. Friday, the vehicle was found unoccupied in Santa Clara.
Officers were able to identify the suspects and executed a search warrant. During the search, detectives said they found two replica firearms believed to have been used in the robberies.
Police arrested 22-year-old Blay Tacha Mellizo, 18-year-old Juan Hernandez Estrada, 19-year-old Andrey Guedez Melo and a 17-year-old juvenile male, all from San Jose.
Mellizo, Estrada and Melo were booked into the Santa Clara County Jail, while the 17-year-old was booked into juvenile hall. All four suspects were booked on suspicion of armed robbery.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Contreras of the San Jose Police Department Robbery Unit over email or by calling 408-277-4166.
