A third juvenile has been arrested in connection with three armed robberies along the Central Coast in March, the Santa Maria Police Department said Friday.
Armed robberies were reported in Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo on March 14 and the suspects and weapon — a possible shotgun or rifle — were described similarly in all three incidents, police Sgt. Paul Van Meel said.
The robberies were reported within a three-hour period in the early morning hours of March 14 and two juveniles were arrested around 4:30 a.m. that day after a Santa Maria officer conducted a traffic stop and discovered evidence the juveniles had committed the robberies, police Sgt. Duane Schneider said at the time.
They were both booked into the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall on suspicion of armed robbery and commission of a felony with a firearm, police said.
A third suspect was identified during the follow-up investigation and Santa Maria police detectives got an arrest warrant for that juvenile and made the arrest on Thursday, Van Meel said. Detectives also served a search warrant at the juvenile’s residence, police said.
That juvenile was transported to the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall and booked for the same charges as the other two, Van Meel said.
No information has been released about the suspects given their ages.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.