Man arrested last night now charged in connection with 8 armed robberies
Javier Taylor and Guillermina DeLara are behind bars following an armed robbery last night at ‘Carniceria San Miguel’ in Thousand Palms.
The pair allegedly robbed the store and led police on a chase along Interstate 10 all the way to Indio.
Taylor has now been charged with our robberies in Coachella, two in La Quinta, and four that occurred in Indio.
Jose Castillo is an accountant at the store. He spoke with KESQ & CBS Local 2’s Sarah Trott, describing what happened.
“There were some clients here at the place, some of the employees, the money that was in the register was given to him we don’t know the amount yet,” Castillo said.
Castillo is still shaken up.
“Nobody was hurt, everybody is okay, everybody is getting through the shock of you know being robbed at gunpoint,” Castillo said.
It’s a shock that a handful of other businesses across the valley can relate to. Thursday night’s robbery was the seventh armed robbery to happen in past weeks.
A Castañeda’s Mexican food restaurant in Coachella was robbed on Wednesday.
Read: Coachella Castañeda’s Restaurant robbed
Last week, the Mi Tierra bakery and the nearby Metro PCS in Coachella were robbed by a masked man.
Read: Masked man robs workers at Coachella bakery
In Indio, the Coco Freeze was robbed on Sunday and the Tapatio restaurant was robbed last Thursday.
Read: Indio ice cream shop the latest Valley store robbed at gunpoint
Last month, the Castañeda’s in Palm Springs was also robbed.
Read: Palm Springs Castañeda’s robbed at gunpoint, 5th valley shop recently robbed
Many of the surveillance videos showing a similar suspect a man in a painters mask with a ball cap and towel covering the neck and face. While Taylor has been charged in numerous robberies, police haven’t confirmed if any of those were the ones above.
“After yesterday’s incident, investigators are working to see on all these robberies throughout the Coachella Valley, looking into it, and the possibility that these suspects being involved in the other ones,” said Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Armando Munoz.
Munoz says the business’ surveillance cameras have been helpful in the investigation.
“What helps us out in case they do occur, for precautionary purposes, I would say good video surveillance, inside and outside the business,” Munoz said.
Munoz suggesting businesses keep only small amounts of cash, alarms to sound when customers enter or exit, and for employers.
“Making sure that if they could, have more than one person at the businesses, maybe one in the back, one in the front so one person could contact law enforcement as the crime is occurring,” Munoz said.
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