3 Arrested in Connection With Armed Robbery of Menlo Park Youths
MENLO PARK (CBS SF) -- Officers arrested three men suspected of robbing two juveniles with a sawed-off shotgun Monday afternoon at Flood Park in Menlo Park, police said.
Officers responding about 3:25 p.m. to the robbery report at the park at 215 Bay Road were told by the youths that two men with a shotgun took their belongings and fled. The victims were uninjured.
A search turned up three people in the area of Bay Road and Heritage Place. One of three "abandoned a backpack, ran behind a residence, and jumped a fence," police said in a news release.
All three suspects were detained and a single-shot sawed-off shotgun was found in the discarded backpack, police said.
The youths identified two of the men as the ones who robbed them.
Jose Lopez-Sanchez, 26, of Mountain View, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony, firearms violations, and resisting arrest. Lopez-Sanchez is an alleged MS-13 gang member on probation for false imprisonment and vehicle theft, according to police.
Heriberto Gomez, 28, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony, firearms violations, resisting arrest, and several outstanding arrest warrants for drug violations. Police identified Gomez as a transient on probation for false imprisonment.
The third man detained refused to identify himself, police said. He was identified as Luis Enrique Cruz, 30, of East Palo Alto. Cruz was arrested for allegedly making threats of violence toward police and violating the terms of his probation. He was on probation for assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
Police asked anyone with information about the robbery to contact Detective Josh Russell at (650) 330-6364 or jprussell@menlopark.org.
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