Orange County, CA—The Santa Ana Police Department has arrested two suspects in connection to the armed robbery of a man changing a flat tire in August. New evidence suggests this incident is just the latest in a string of armed robberies in Orange County.
Carlos Perez was driving a friend home from a bar when he pulled into a parking lot to change a flat tire.
NBC4 reported that things took a turn for the worse for Perez and his passenger at around 2:30 in the morning. It was then that, after leaving a bar in downtown Santa Ana, Perez pulled over between Grand and 1st St. to inspect and repair a flat tire.
Surveillance camera footage captured the moment armed robbers confronted Perez. While Perez knelt before the damaged tire, a man and a woman approached him from behind. The pair proceeded to pistol-whip him and take his wallet at gunpoint.
“I felt I was going to die.”
In an interview with ABC7, Perez described the fear he felt during the assault and the following robbery.
“He pointed the gun to my head,” said Perez, recounting the robbery.
“My vision was blurry because blood was covering one eye,” the victim explained. Disoriented, he ran and hid. Perez was struck three times with the gun.
ABC7 went on to report that, while all this took place, the second assailant stole items from Perez’s car and emptied his friend's pockets, who was passed out on the ground next to the car after having several drinks. According to NBC4, the man and woman fled with a wallet, phone, and cash.
Police believe Perez was followed from the bar to the crime scene.
These armed robbers did not come across Perez and his friend by chance. During her interview with RosemaryWrightTV.com, Officer Natalie Garcia of the Santa Ana Police Department relayed additional information on this investigation.
Garcia explained that the suspects had “been scoping the downtown area.” Then, upon seeing Perez and his inebriated friend leave a bar, it is believed the armed robbers “followed the victims to the location where they were then assaulted and robbed.”
Police believe that Santa Ana’s ‘flat tire felons’ have committed a string of similar armed robberies in the county.
Officer Garcia explained that after putting out a ‘BOLO’ (be on the lookout) on the suspects and their vehicle, detectives found “the same suspects committing the same crime in different cities.” This came after the discovery that the pair were arrested for a similar crime in the area just ten days after the robbery of Carlos Perez.
Though details such as the suspects’ names and the scope of this string of robberies have not yet been released, Garcia confirmed that working with outside agencies, investigators have seen “a pattern of these suspects assaulting victims with the same handgun.” Officer Garcia said the robberies occurred “beginning in early July through the end of August.”
Santa Ana PD is urging residents of Orange County to maintain awareness of their surroundings, especially when out at night. As the investigation continues, law enforcement is asking that other victims or those with information on these robberies come forward at this time.
