Woman charged with robbing Carl’s Jr. with rifle in Cathedral City
A woman who allegedly robbed a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Cathedral City while toting a rifle and a teddy bear was charged Thursday with robbery and several firearm allegations.
Ruth Isaura Ibarra, 32, of Cathedral City, was arrested just up the block from the crime scene, less than a week after police say she made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from the Carl’s Jr. at 32250 Date Palm Drive.
Ibarra is accused in the Jan. 18 robbery, when police say she walked into the restaurant about 6:40 a.m. while armed with a rifle, took cash from the employees, then fled on foot.
Officers searched the area but could not find her, he said. No one in the business was injured during the robbery, according to Cathedral City Lt. Julio Luna.
Police released photos of Ibarra taken from restaurant surveillance footage and alleged she had a blue bandana covering her face and a white blanket draped over her body, while carrying a bright pink cosmetics bag and a teddy bear in addition to a rifle.
Luna said Ibarra was taken into custody about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, while in her car in the 68900 block of Ramon Road, just north of the Carl’s Jr., near the intersection of Ramon Road and Date Palm Drive. Luna said evidence allegedly linking her to the armed robbery “were located in her possession” at the time of her arrest.
Ibarra, who was scheduled to make her initial court appearance Thursday afternoon, was being held at the Riverside County jail in Indio in lieu of $105,000 bail.
Woman accused of robbing Carl’s Jr. while armed with rifle arrested by Cathedral City police – Tuesday, January 24
The Cathedral City Police Department has arrested a 32-year-old woman suspected of robbing a Carl’s Jr. with a rifle last week. Ruth Isaura Ibarra was arrested Tuesday at about 12:30 a.m. while she was inside her vehicle near the 68900 block of Ramon Road, officers said in a release.
The robbery happened at the Carl’s Jr. located in the 32100 block of Date Palm Drive at about 6 a.m. on Wednesday, January 18. Police released surveillance photos of the suspect to try and track her down following the armed robbery.
Witnesses said the suspect walked into the business, pulled out a rifle and demanded money. She left the area with an unknown amount of cash and officers weren’t able to locate her after they arrived to the business that day. Nobody was hurt during the robbery.
The rifle the suspect used was described as a small rifle of an unknown caliber.
During Ibarra’s arrest early Tuesday morning, officers said they found her with evidenced used in the armed robbery. She’s being charged with armed robbery, burglary and commission of a felony while armed with a firearm, according to police.
Investigators were able to identify Ibarra through the help of residents and multiple law enforcement agencies.
Ibarra was booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio, where she was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, according to jail records.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will keep you updated as the investigation moves forward.
