San Mateo Firefighters Help Track Down Armed Robbery Suspects
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- San Mateo firefighters on Monday helped police detectives track down two men suspected of robbing a gas station at gunpoint, according to the police department.
Officers responded to reports of an armed robbery at a 76 gas station at 28th Avenue and El Camino Real around 10 a.m., according to San Mateo police spokesman Sgt. David Norris.
Two men had gone into the gas station and demanded money from the clerk. One of the men had a handgun, police said. They took an undisclosed amount of money and fled the area on foot.
Responding officers quickly established a search area and called in several units, including a police K-9 team.
A telephone alert was issued to residents and businesses for people to stay out of the area while the search was being conducted, police said.
Firefighters from San Mateo Fire Station No. 23 on 27th Avenue obtained suspect descriptions from police, and reported seeing someone matching the description on a nearby street, police said. The firefighters also led officers to what appeared to be evidence from the robbery that had been dropped.
Police tracked down two men in the area who were eventually arrested for the robbery.
Alvaro Hernandez, 32, and Daniel Nerio, 37, both of San Mateo, were booked into county jail on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy, according to police.
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