2 SoCal suspects arrested in connection with Tracy gas station robberies
TRACY – Police in Tracy this week announced the recent arrest of two Southern California residents in connection to a pair of gas station robberies last month.
Reynaldo Parsons, 31, and Bruce Nelson, 34, were arrested and detained on Oct. 30 on suspicion of second-degree robbery and being a felon with a firearm.
The Tracy Police Department's communication center said they received a 911 call about a robbery that occurred at a gas station on the 500 block of west Valpico Road, but officers were unable to locate any suspects.
Shortly after officers responded to the first gas station, deputies from the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a gas station robbery in the 7000 block of West 11th Street.
Deputies said the suspects description in the second robbery were similar to the details of the Tracy robbers and that the suspects left the scene before they arrived.
According to the Tracy Police Department, an officer on the force was concerned about another robbery strike so he conducted proactive patrols of gas stations in the city.
Police said that while the officer was at a gas station located in the 800 block of south Tracy Boulevard, he witnessed a person wearing all black clothing approaching the gas station with full facing coverings and gloves.
The description matched the ones of the previous robbers, according to police.
The police department said the suspect retreated from the gas station door and returned to a vehicle that was waiting in a nearby neighborhood, however they were unsuccessful in escaping from the scene.
Police allege that a firearm and suspected stolen currency was inside Parsons' and Nelson's car which were linked to the two robberies committed earlier in the day.